Putin suggests he will work on a farm if he loses election
Vladimir Putin
on - Don on Feb . 1 . ( Alexei Druzhinin / Pool / Sputnik / Kremlin / AP )  Vladimir Putin  visited an agricultural equipment factory Thursday — and quipped that if  he  were to lose upcoming elections    he  might choose a new career in farming .  The Russian president  made the comments while sitting in a combine harvester simulator at a Rostselmash factory in Rostov - on - Don . If things didn ' t go well in the upcoming election   “ I ' ll start work as a combine driver after March 18  ”  Putin  said   according to footage published by state - funded news network RT . “ No problem   no problem at all  ” Konstantin Babkin   chief executive of Rostselmash   responded .  Putin  may not have reason to worry . Last year    he  became the longest - serving Kremlin leader since Joseph Stalin   and though  he  delayed  his  announcement about whether  he  would run in the upcoming elections until December   polls suggest  he  has little real opposition . The most recent data from VTsIOM   for example   shows that 69 . 9 percent of Russians say they will vote for the incumbent president in March ' s election . According to VTsIOM ' s polling    Putin  ' s closest competitor is Pavel Grudinin   a candidate for Russia ' s Communist Party   who has about 6 percent of the vote . Meet one of the presidential candidates running against  Vladimir Putin  in Russia . ( David Filipov   Sarah Parnass / The Washington Post ) Russia ’ s most prominent  Putin  critic   Alexei Navalny   is barred from the ballot   and there is a split among opposition voters about tactics . While some want to boycott the ballot to undermine its legitimacy   other liberals plan to vote for government critics like Grudinin or journalist Ksenia Sobchak . In a rare instance Friday   Russia ' s Central Election Commission criticized Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov for speaking in Putin ' s favor ahead of the election . “ The level of Putin ’ s popularity goes far beyond the borders of Russia . Hardly anyone can question Putin ’ s being the absolute leader of the public opinion   the absolute leader of the political pinnacle that hardly anyone can compete with seriously at the present stage  ” Peskov said of  Putin  on Monday   according to state news agency Tass . Peskov subsequently apologized for his statement and said he would be more cautious in the future . More on  WorldViews Russian President Vladimir Putin  struck a familiar chord at  his  year - end news conference on Dec . 14   praising President Trump ' s economic record and calling for improved U . S .- Russia relations . ( Joyce Lee   Jenny Starrs / The Washington Post )  Putin  saw the Panama Papers as a personal attack and may have wanted revenge   Russian authors say
on - Don on Feb . 1 . ( Alexei Druzhinin / Pool / Sputnik / Kremlin / AP )  [TGT]visited an agricultural equipment factory Thursday — and quipped that if  [TGT]  were to lose upcoming elections    [TGT]  might choose a new career in farming .  [TGT]made the comments while sitting in a combine harvester simulator at a Rostselmash factory in Rostov - on - Don . If things didn ' t go well in the upcoming election   “ I ' ll start work as a combine driver after March 18  ”  [TGT]said   according to footage published by state - funded news network RT . “ No problem   no problem at all  ” Konstantin Babkin   chief executive of Rostselmash   responded .  [TGT]may not have reason to worry . Last year    [TGT]  became the longest - serving Kremlin leader since Joseph Stalin   and though  [TGT]  delayed  [TGT]  announcement about whether  [TGT]  would run in the upcoming elections until December   polls suggest  [TGT]  has little real opposition . The most recent data from VTsIOM   for example   shows that 69 . 9 percent of Russians say they will vote for the incumbent president in March ' s election . According to VTsIOM ' s polling    Putin  ' s closest competitor is Pavel Grudinin   a candidate for Russia ' s Communist Party   who has about 6 percent of the vote . Meet one of the presidential candidates running against  Vladimir Putin  in Russia . ( David Filipov   Sarah Parnass / The Washington Post ) Russia ’ s most prominent  Putin  critic   Alexei Navalny   is barred from the ballot   and there is a split among opposition voters about tactics . While some want to boycott the ballot to undermine its legitimacy   other liberals plan to vote for government critics like Grudinin or journalist Ksenia Sobchak . In a rare instance Friday   Russia ' s Central Election Commission criticized Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov for speaking in Putin ' s favor ahead of the election . “ The level of Putin ’ s popularity goes far beyond the borders of Russia . Hardly anyone can question Putin ’ s being the absolute leader of the public opinion   the absolute leader of the political pinnacle that hardly anyone can compete with seriously at the present stage  ” Peskov said of  Putin  on Monday   according to state news agency Tass . Peskov subsequently apologized for his statement and said he would be more cautious in the future . More on  [TGT]struck a familiar chord at  his  year - end news conference on Dec . 14   praising President Trump ' s economic record and calling for improved U . S .- Russia relations . ( Joyce Lee   Jenny Starrs / The Washington Post )  [TGT]saw the Panama Papers as a personal attack and may have wanted revenge   Russian authors say