I am pretty sure the Russian people support Putin and his policies and did vote for him his party in large numbers. I am also damn sure the voters in Chechnya are NOT supportive of Putin since they continue to vie for succession from the Russian Federation. So the election results from Chechnya are clear evidence not everyone voted their conscience:

Among the most startling results from the election Sunday were those in the war-torn republic of Chechnya, which is run by a strongman leader installed by Mr. Putin. United Russia won 99.4 percent of the vote in Chechnya, officials said, with a turnout of 99.5 percent.”

H/T to Larissa for pointing out this ridiculous result which DOES smell of a Saddam Hussein styled democracy. I could understand a boycott by the Islamists in Chechnya, but that would drop the turnout to way low.

Problem is Chechnya is the home of the one terrorist group to deploy a dirty nuclear bomb in a major city (Moscow) and are guilty of terrible acts of terrorism in that country. I can see a rift where all the pro-Russian citizens voted for Putin and all the anti-Russian citizens stayed home (I doubt they were given an option they could support). This is the result of civil war and losing. I know – I am a native of the South in America. Sometimes the bad guys do lose.