But Putin's former economic adviser Andrei Illarionov, who lost his job in late 2005, warned earlier in the week that Putin was building a regime of absolute power. He said Putin's regime could be compared to that of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin or Russian czar Ivan the Terrible.
"We are facing a hidden turning point: giving a legal frame to an absolute power which won't have any restrictions whatsoever," he told reporters.
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Putin wants to stay in power -- and voters couldn't be happier
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