>> Thompson: ALL ACROSS RUSSIA

TODAY, VOTERS HEADED TO THE

POLLS TO CAST THEIR BALLOTS IN

THAT COUNTRY'S PRESIDENTIAL

ELECTION.

BUT EVEN BEFORE THE FINAL VOTES

ARE TALLIED, THE OUTCOME IS

ALREADY CLEAR: PRESIDENT

VLADIMIR PUTIN WAS RE-ELECTED TO

HIS FOURTH SIX-YEAR TERM.

AS OF 9:00 P.M. IN MOSCOW, THE

TURNOUT WAS JUST OVER 60%, AND

EARLY RETURNS SHOW PUTIN

RECEIVED MORE THAN 70% OF THE

VOTE IN A FIELD THAT TECHNICALLY

HAD EIGHT CANDIDATES.

FOR MORE I'M JOINED BY NEIL

MacFARQUHAR, MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF

FOR "THE NEW YORK TIMES," VIA

SKYPE FROM MOSCOW.

SO NEIL, SINCE THERE'S BEEN NO

REAL QUESTION ABOUT WHO IS

GOING TO WIN THIS ELECTION, I

UNDERSTAND THAT THERE HAS BEEN A

LOT OF EMPHASIS ON THE NUMBER OF

PEOPLE WHO WOULD ACTUALLY TURN

OUT TO VOTE.

CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT

WHAT PUTIN'S PEOPLE HAVE BEEN

DOING TODAY TO MAKE SURE THAT

THERE WAS ADEQUATE TURNOUT?

>> WELL, THEY TRIED TO TURN THE

WHOLE THING INTO A KIND OF

CARNIVAL OR FESTIVAL AND LEFT UP

TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES HOW BEST TO

DO IT.

THE GENERAL THEME WAS KIND OF

LIKE PUTTING OTHER THINGS ON THE

BALLOT LIKE SCHOOL ISSUES TO GET

PARENTS TO TURN UP OR MAKING

CAREER DAYS AT SCHOOLS.

SOME OF IT WAS FUN STUFF, LIKE

THERE WAS ONE CLOWN AT A POLLING

STATION IN MOSCOW SHOUTING OUT

QUESTIONS ABOUT RUSSIAN HISTORY

AND IF YOU ANSWERED THEM

CORRECTLY YOU GOT A FREE

CHOCOLATE BAR.

>> Thompson: SO WHAT DO WE KNOW

ABOUT HOW MANY PEOPLE DID TURN

OUT AND WHO TURNED OUT?

>> THE EXIT POLLS INDICATE THAT

THE VOTERS SKEWED TOWARDS THE

OLDER VOTERS, YOUNG DIDN'T TURN

OUT WHICH WAS KIND OF EXPECTED.

WHEN YOU TALK TO THEM THEY KIND

OF SAY YOU KNOW, WE KNOW WHAT

THE OUTCOME IS GOING TO BE AND

WHO WE VOTE FOR IS GOING TO HAVE

NO EFFECT ON OUR LIVES SO WHY

BOTHER.

>> Thompson: DID PUTIN HAVE ANY

REAL OPPOSITION?

>> NOT THAT HE ALLOWED TO RUN.

THE MAIN CANDIDATE WHO SORT OF

TRIED TO SET UP A NATIONAL

ORGANIZATION RUN WAS ALEXEI

NAVALNY, WHO WAS THE

ANTICORRUPTION CAMPAIGNER AND

THE MOST VOCAL CRITIC OF THE

KREMLIN.

AND HE WAS BARRED DUE TO

VARIOUS FRAUD CONVICTIONS

THAT EVERYBODY THOUGHT WERE

POLITICALLY MOTIVATED.

IT IS THE KIND OF FUNNY THING

BECAUSE PUTIN EVEN IF HE HAD RUN

A GENUINE ELECTION HE PROBABLY

WOULD HAVE WON BECAUSE HE'S VERY

POPULAR BUT HE HAS ALWAYS SORT

OF MISTRUSTED ELECTIONS EVER

SINCE HE WAS THE CAMPAIGN

MANAGER FOR THE MAYOR OF

ST. PETERSBURG IN 1996 AND THE

MAYOR LOST THE RACE.

SO HE HAS HAD THIS SORT OF

INHERENT DISTRUST OF THE

SURPRISE OF ELECTIONS AND NEVER

REALLY LIKED THEM.

>> Thompson: HERE IN THE U.S.

THERE IS OBVIOUSLY NO SHORTAGE

OF NEWS ABOUT RUSSIA BETWEEN THE

NERVE AGENT ATTACK IN BRITAIN

AND THE MEDDLING IN OUR

ELECTIONS.

I MEAN HOW ARE ALL THOSE ISSUES

AND STORIES PLAYING OUT IN

RUSSIA?

>> YOU KNOW, THEY SORT OF PLAY

INTO THE NARRATIVE THAT PUTIN

LIKES TO PRESS THAT YOU KNOW,

RUSSIA IS THIS BESEIGED FORTRESS

WITH PEOPLE TRYING TO ATTACK IT

FROM ALL SIDES AND FOR ALL

REASONS.

I MEAN YOU NAME THE POISONING

ATTACK, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE HAS

BEEN ZERO ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND

THERE WILL BE NONE THAT RUSSIA

MIGHT HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE AS

ALWAYS, LIKE YOU KNOW, THE WEST

SET THIS UP TRYING TO MAKE PUTIN

LOOK BAD RIGHT BEFORE THE

ELECTION.

IT'S ALWAYS THIS SORT OF IDEA

THAT RUSSIA IS A SCAPEGOAT AND

WHENEVER RUSSIA TRIES TO GET UP

OFF ITS KNEES THE WORLD IS THERE

WAITING TO KNOCK IT DOWN.

>> Thompson: I KNOW THAT PUTIN

DIDN'T REALLY CAMPAIGN MUCH BUT

DID HE PROMISE ANYTHING FOR THIS

NEXT TERM?

>> I THINK HE ACTUALLY ATTENDED

ONE CAMPAIGN RALLY.

AND HE JUST DOESN'T REALLY LIKE

THE PROCESS.

AND HE DID, YOU KNOW, HE SORT OF

LAID OUT WHAT COULD BE CALLED

HIS VISION FOR HIS NEXT SIX

YEARS AND HE SPENT A LOT OF

TIME TALKING ABOUT SOCIAL

PROGRAMS WHICH, OF COURSE,

PEOPLE WANT TO SEE IMPROVED IN

TERMS OF PENSIONS, MEDICAL CARE,

ET CETERA.

BUT HE DIDN'T SPECIFY HOW HE

WOULD PAY FOR IT AN THEN HE

FAMOUSLY SPENT YOU KNOW THE

SECOND HALF OF THE SPEECH JUST

TALKING ABOUT ALL THESE

INCREDIBLE WEAPONS THAT RUSSIA

HAD DEVELOPED THAT SORT OF

NUCLEAR CRUISE MISSILES AND THE

LIKE THAT COULD OVERRIDE

ANYTHING THE AMERICANS HAVE.

SO IT'S ALL ABOUT SORT OF

NATIONAL SECURITY AND RALLYING

AROUND THE FLAG.

>> Thompson: ALL RIGHT, NEIL

McFARQUHAR FROM "THE NEW YORK

TIMES," THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> ANY TIME.