Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian powers are not constrained by elections, but he is alert to the danger that his rule would look illegitimate without them. That creates a tension, which is resolved through “managed democracy” – a euphemism for fraud and repression camouflaged with ritual ballots, held under a constitution that notionally guarantees political freedoms but in reality serves only the president.

Russians are invited to elect a new Duma, the lower chamber of parliament, later this week, but they know in advance that United Russia, the official party of Putinism, will win a majority.

Engineering that outcome is not without risk for the ruling regime. The mechanics of stealing an election are simple enough. Ballots can be stuffed, official media are pliant. But too blatant a theft can be counterproductive. If the........

© The Guardian