Putin Rides Out Russia’s Protests on Europe-Beating Economy

Vladimir Putin may ride out a wave of protests and return to the presidency on the back of an economic track record that he says marks Russia out from the turmoil sweeping parts of Europe.

Polls show Putin, 59, may win about 60 percent of the vote in a March 4 election, enough to avoid a runoff. While that’s down from the 71 percent he captured in 2004’s election and the 70 percent garnered by Dmitry Medvedev four years later, it suggests that protests since a December parliamentary vote have failed to undermine his authority.