] On Sunday, Putin was helped by overwhelmingly positive
] coverage on Russia's state-controlled nationwide
] television stations, giving his competitors little
] opportunity to reach voters.
]
]
] Such media coverage drew criticism from Putin's
] opponents, international observers and U.S. officials,
] who said it gave the Russian president an unfair
] advantage.
]
]
] "You've got to let candidates have all access to the
] media that the president has," U.S. Secretary of State
] Colin Powell told "Fox News Sunday."
]
]
] "It's not entirely clear to me why they go out of their
] way to keep opposition candidates from fully
] participating in the electoral process," said Powell, who
] added that this does not mean there is yet cause to worry
] that democracy in Russia is crumbling.
]
]
] Putin's campaign manager, Dmitry Kozak, shot back on
] Sunday that democracy in the United States is far from
] perfect.

Touché.

Putin's victory criticized by foes