Czar Putin

[Shermann]

The last official czar of Russia was Czar Nicholas II. It's time for Putin to finalize the collapse of the Soviet Union by appointing himself as czar and abolishing the presidency. The presidency and corresponding elections are a sham, so he is effectively czar anyway. There is nostalgia for that historical era and there would be an element of honesty with this move.

[Celerity]

1. A tsar is born

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2017/10/26/a-tsar-is-born

[pandr32]

2. He has no "element of honesty...".

[Lovie777]

3. Why does he still have elections?......................

everybody knows they are meaningless.

[The Unmitigated Gall]

4. Propaganda purposes. Thin veneer of legitimacy.

The old Soviet Union did it as well.

[Shermann]

5. To what end?

Sanctions are already ratcheted up to the maximum. What does he have to lose?

Kim Jong Un is playing the same game.