In modern Russia there are no free elections, therefore the political elite is almost constant.

Photo: Valentina Matvienko, Mayor of St. Petersburg, attends the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on June 17, 2011 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Global business leaders have gathered in Russia for the three-day conference. (Photo by Alexander Aleshkin/Epsilon/Getty Images)

Australian actress Joy Smithers poses beside a poster featuring Australian cricketer Brett Lee during the official launch of the AceStar underwear range at Pink Salt on August 19, 2008 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mike Flokis/Getty Images)

His majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (L), 31, smiles at his bride during the purification marriage ceremony to Queen Jetsun Pema, 21, in the historical Punakha Dzong on October 13, 2011 in Punakha, Bhutan. The Dzong is the same venue that hosted the King's historic coronation ceremony in 2008. The Oxford-educated king is popular in the country and the ceremony will be followed by celebration in the capital and countryside. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

A police officer has weapons blessed by a Hindu priest during the Vishwakarma Puja festival in the outskirts of Agartala, India, September 17, 2016. (Photo by Jayanta Dey/Reuters)

“A Balinese man shows off his pride and joy, a fighting cock, while on a cigarette break after a morning’s work in nearby fields”. (Photo by Coltrane Koh/The Guardian)

People walk to the Venezuela Aid Live concert that will play on the Colombian side of the border near the Simon Bolivar International Bridge, from San Antonio del Tachira, Venezuela, Friday, February 22, 2019. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

The beard of a skater, one out of some 1,100 athletes, is covered with ice and snow during the 200 km (124 miles) speed skating race in the Carinthian village of Techendorf January 30, 2015. Techendorf is hosting the Alternatieve Elfstedentocht Weissensee (Alternative Eleven City Races Weissensee) races, a traditional Dutch series of speed skating events for both professionals and amateurs with some 5,000 participants, until January 31, 2015. (Photo by Leonhard Foeger/Reuters)

A man watches the approaching flames as the Springs fire continues to grow near Camarillo, California, on May 3, 2013. The wildfire has spread to more than 18,000 acres on day two and is 20 percent contained. (Photo by David McNew)