TheReturnofPutin

1、The Return of PutinAt a meeting of the ruling United Russia party on September 24, RussianPrime Minister Vladimir Putin accepted a proposal by President Dmitry Medvedev to compete in next yearspresidential election. The question about whether or not Putin will run for president finally has an answer

2、.Putin said there is a“ comradely union ” between him andMedvedev. They had “ agreed long ago on who will do what, and what they have proposed at the congress was a “ we-llthought- out ”decision, he said.The power tandem between the two politicians has proven effective, as it has guaranteed Russias

3、overall political andsocial stability as well as economic growth. It is mainly because of Russia s domestic political rules that they weadi toannounce the final presidential candidate.Then President Putin handpicked Medvedev as his successor in 2008. Russia s Constitution states that a Russian presi

4、dent cannot seek a third term in a row. To make sure he could be the president once again and stay at the position for a longer period, Putin made extensive preparations.Planning aheadWhen Putin started his second term in 2004, he hinted that he had his eye on another term. If Russias Constitution d

5、idnforbid three successive terms, Putin would not have chosen Medvedev as the next president. Putin became prime minister after his second term as president, and he has continued to set Russia s domestic and foreign policies, even though Medvedev serves as the head of state. With this tactic, Putin

6、continues to stay at the helm of country.Medvedev is a Putin ally. His personal characteristics and administrative style are quite different to those of Putin he is a loyal supporter and implementer of Putins policies,known as a mild refor mer on Putin s team. All these made Medvedev Putin s ideal s

7、uccessor. Before the presidential election in 2008, Putin declared that he would win the election together with Medvedev, hinting that Medvedevs success wasequal to Putins holding onto power.Putin also has kept Medvedev on track by setting up a cooperative mechanism between them. Unlike his predeces

8、sor Boris Yeltsin, Putin didnt quit all political titles. Instead, hebecame prime minister and set up the Medvedev-Putin power tandem. All Putin s confidants stayed in the administration, preparing for a future presidential election. Under the Medvedev-Putin cooperative mechanism, Russian people con

9、tinued to associate top state power with Putin.Moreover, Putin started to pave his way to the presidency by amending the constitution. Soon after assuming the presidency, Medvedev submitted a constitutional amendment to the State Duma, the lower house of Russias legislature, suggestingextending the

10、presidential term from four to six years. The amendment also stated that the longer term will take effect beginning with the next presidential term. Then, there was a rumor that Medvedev might resign within a year, so the country might have a presidential election at an earlier date. The rumor refle

11、cted the desire of the Russian elite for Putins reelection.After the financial crisis broke out in 2008, Russias leadadjusted the tradi- tional division of responsibilities between the president and prime minister. The Russian Government susual practice was for the president to be responsible for po

12、litical affairs while the prime minister focused on the economy. Now Medvedev and Putin are sharing the responsibilities and risks of managing the countrys economObstaclesPutin, who left the presidency at the peak of his power, has played a central role in Russias leadership during Medvedevadministr

13、ation. But since the political situation has changed a lot in the last three years, Putin has to deal with grave challenges in the runup to the 2012 presidential election.Dissatisfaction about Russias current social conditions is on therise. Some people felt so disappointed about Putins reelectithat

14、 they declared they would not vote or planned for a protest vote in March 2012.The anti-Putin movement is growing. Anti-government demonstrations have broken out in many Russian cities, including Moscow, since 2008, calling for a Russia without Putin. The number of protesters at large demonstrations

15、 exceeded 10,000.Worse still, the ruling partyarityissdpeocrpeualsing sharply.Votes for United Russia were below 50 percent in many regional elections last year. Even Putins advisors predicted people support for Medvedev, Putin and United Russia would “ disastrously ” slide in the next eight months.

16、 Some people and social groups are calling for reforming the existing electoral system in Russia. They have said if the current system is not changed, the international community might refuse to recognize the election result. Then, the legitimacy of the new government would be questioned, and there

17、might be widespread protests in the country.Western countries are exerting pressure on Russia about Putin participation in the presidential election. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said he doesnt support Pnuntiingrufor presidentduring his visit to Russia in March. The Washington Post pointed out that

18、 if Putin is reelected, foreign investors could be scared away due to fears of corruption and lack of a sense of safety, coupled with Putins perceiv-eWdeasntetirn stance.AdvantagesIn spite of all these obstacles, Putin still has many unmatched advantages for being Russian president again.Despite the

19、 Russian Governments poor performance inaddressing the financial crisis, Putins personal charisma hashardly been damaged. He has remained a symbol for Russia speace and stability. Russians still count on Putin to helpmaintain public security in Russia with his tough work style. They tend to put the

20、blame for economic and social problems on oligarchies, corrupt officials and police with no integrity, rather than the prime minister himself. In February, Putin popularity rating stood at 73 percent.t steal PuMedvedev has tried his best to help Putin back to the presidency. During the past three ye

21、ars, he has not only discussed all major issues with Putin, but also stayed with Putin s team instead of founding his own. He didn thunder during his administration, either. Medvedev has also kept quiet about reelection, bringing down Russians expectations for him to seek a second term.The key for Putin is that he will not have a competitor who can pose a real threat to him in the coming presidential election. Other parties in Russia are not able to pick a candidat