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RUSSIA INDIA REPORT
www.russiatoday.ru/election
Levada Analytical Center: 'From opinions – to understanding'’
IN ASSOC Politics
05
IATION WITH ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA
www.levada.ru/eng
THE ECONOMIC TIMES SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2007
The main question in Russian politics today? That would be premature. into business. First, he is part of Putin’s team and
Opinion:
in the last few months has been First, in addition to opposition self- But Russian political realities the head of the main component of
answered: four parties, two of which nominees (former Prime Minister prevent him from leaving politics once Putin’s plan – national projects. And he
Fact
(United Russia and Just Russia) have Mikhail Kasyanov, ex-world chess and for all because the system of has proved his loyalty to Putin for
A candidate,
an overwhelming majority in the future champion Garry Kasparov, to name power, which he has built, may not many years. Second, Medvedev has a
Duma, have announced their just two), another official candidate withstand the blow. stable reputation of a liberal in the
Stock market surged
not yet a
presidential nominee. may be nominated. We should probably bear in mind the Kremlin. He has demonstrated this on
on successor news
He is First Deputy Prime Minister At any rate, Putin himself has option that has recently surfaced of an at least two occasions – when he
successor
Dmitry Medvedev, and his candidacy repeatedly renounced the term official formation of a new Union State opposed extreme measures against
The news that Russian
was approved by Vladimir Putin. “I “successor,” insisting that there are of Russia and Belarus. In this case, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and when he
President Vladimir Putin
named First Vice Premier
VITALY
have known him for more than 17 many candidates. But this is not the there is no need to change the criticized the notion of “sovereign
DYMARSKY
years and fully support his main point, even if Medvedev does constitution – it is enough to sign a democracy.” dmitry medvedev as his
MOSCOW
nomination,” said the Russian President become the next President. Another supra-government constitutional act To sum up, Medvedev is largely a
favorite potential
at a meeting with representatives of crucial question has not yet been introducing the position of the Union compromise figure. He can suit and
the four parties. resolved: What will be Putin’s political State’s president. But this is guesswork reconcile both the liberals that
successor fueled the
This nomination will be endorsed at destiny? and few predictions justify themselves suffered a crushing defeat in the
market. Gazprom, where
party congresses before the end of Guesswork is counterproductive. It when it comes to Putin. As for parliamentary elections, and the
medvedev chairs the
December. Should Medvedev be seems that Putin himself would not Medvedev, he has two major proponents of further consolidation of BOD, soared 3 percent to
proclaimed Russia’s next President mind leaving big politics. He could go advantages. political power.
lead the growth.
Strategy Everybody heard about it, yet it still has to be explained Politics A close working relationship with Putin
put the nominee at the head of the race
Putin’s Plan
Is that the path to
the Presidency?
CONTINUED from PAGE 1 S
T
I
V
O
Back to the USSR or towards a
In June 2000, he was appoint-
ed first deputy chief of the
presidential executive office V RIA NO
and chairman of the board of
ONO
directors of Gazprom, a signifi-
stronger, democratic Russia
cant post in Russia.
In October that year, Putin
asked Medvedev to be chief of
the presidential executive of-
VLDIMIR RODI
fice. In November 2005, he was
appointed First Deputy Prime
“Putin’s Plan” is a phrase that
A
”
Minwister, encouraging the be-
has provided linguistic zest to lief that he would succeed
the just-finished election.
Putin. However, First Deputy
Initially coined as a slogan for
ROSSIY
Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov
the governing party United
Y
A 2000. Vladimir Putin (right) and Dmitry Medvedev, head of
was also considered a potential
Russia the term gained extra
the presidential candidate’s election headquarters (left)
successor. Some time before,
emphasis when the President
Medvedev had been put in
himself began using it,
S
T
I
charge of priority national proj-
referring to the plan as the
V
O
Y
AEV ”EDINA
“will of the majority.” If truth
ects, which journalists and ana-
be told, however, it is
lysts saw as a grooming for the
extremely rare to find a
presidency. (National projects V RIA NO
Russian who understands
were considered a useful vehi-
ONO
what the plan actually means.
NDR SCHEML cle for promoting a positive
A
X public view of the authorities.)
ANNA ZAKATNOVA
ALE
In July 2006, Medvedev crit-
MOSCOW
icised Ivanov’s favourite term,
“sovereign democracy”, in a
VLDIMIR RODI
magazine interview. Medvedev
Officially, “Putin’s plan” refers to
was regarded as a Kremlin lib-
a document which came to the
eral, while Ivanov was thought
fore in May 2007, penned by the
to represent the more hawkish
2007. Dmitry Medvedev (left) and Putin at a meeting in the
pro-Putin governing party “Unit-
law-enforcement and security
Kremlin
ed Russia.” Later, it was to be-
faction. The people liked the na-
come their campaign manifesto
tional projects, and Medvedev’s
Many Russians thought that cial race for the nomination.
in the Duma elections.
rating soon soared ahead of
Putin was using the Medvedev- Medvedev is married to Svet-
Putin himself emphasized sup-
Ivanov’s. In a Levada poll in
Ivanov debate to divert atten- lana, whom he has known since
port for the program by agreeing
January, 33 percent of respon-
tion from another unknown school, and has a son, Ilya, born
to head United Russia’s electoral
dents said they would vote for
candidate. But it became clear in 1996. His youthful hobbies
list in October. Moreover, he re-
Medvedev in the first round
on December 10 that were hard rock, photography,
cently confirmed that this plan
Young fans rally for Putin
Commentary:
we should protect and preserve and 54 percent in the second.
Medvedev had won the unoffi- weightlifting and chess. –
would form the basis of “any pol-
our common cultural space for
icy carried out by the future par-
BORIS GRYZLOV, United
future generations — the wealth
liament, government and head of
thing about “Putin’s Plan” and, if achieve?”, no less that 65 per- Russia Chairman and
of the Russian language, tradi-
state.” Clearly, then, Putin’s Plan
so, what they knew. Only six per- cent of respondents answered
State Duma Speaker
Media Russian web site receives accolade
tional tolerance and spiritual val-
should be seen as not only a
cent of those polled were able to definitely or probably “yes.” Only
ues.
dominant theme in the current
answer this question. Nearly half 19 percent answered “no,” and a
What exactly is Putin’s Plan?
Second, that we need to build
election campaigns, but also as a
– 47 percent – had never heard further 14 percent of respon-
Putin’s Plan is simply the political
a competitive economy.
roadmap for Russia’s political
of Putin’s Plan; 12 percent had dents declined to answer.
course of the current president.
Web portal on foreign
Third, that we should use our
course over the next four or
heard about it but could not ex- When the respondents were
He has already outlined its basic
national projects to substantially
more years.
plain it; and another 29 percent asked whether Putin had a
ideas in his annual addresses to
increase wages and pensions,
The influence of Putin’s plan
knew “something” about it. Six plan which could make Russia
parliament. Together with the
and to generally improve the liv- media wins award
has already been recognized by
percent found the question too strong, rich and prosperous,
government, our deputies have
ing standards of our compatri-
opposition forces. Indeed, the
difficult to answer. 58% replied affirmatively —
been working on these tasks
ots.
strategy has been aggressively
On one level, this could sug- either “definitely” or “proba-
since 2000. In the last four years
Fourth, that we should devel-
The InoSMI Internet
seemed risky, as it had been
S
T
I
criticized by both the left and the
gest that United Russia – and the bly”; 23 percent said “no”; and
alone, we have passed more than
op social institutions for our citi-
project (www.inosmi.ru),
decided that the site should
V
O
right. Communist party leader
President – are hopelessly out of 19 percent could not answer.
a thousand laws and have rebuilt
zens. which publishes foreign
translate and publish materi-
Gennady Zyuganov, for example,
touch with the electorate. On an- So what exactly is con-
the legal framework we inherit-
als that are interesting and
Fifth, that we should develop
described it as a document “in
other level, ask the same ques- tained in this plan? Boris Gry-
ed from the Soviet Union.
media articles translated RIA NO
not banal.
Russia’s position as a sovereign
into Russian, won an
support of Big Business and the
tion a different way and you will zlov, one of the documents’s Strictly speaking, such ma-
state.
oligarchs.” Nikita Belykh, leader
see a completely different pic- main architects and the cur-
What is the anticipated time
award at Runet Award- terial is not predominant in in-
of the opposition Union of Right
ture. For example, in response to rent leader of United Russia’s
frame?
Which of these goals would you
2007 on Tuesday.
ternational media.
(Just) Forces party, offered an
the question “do you think Putin parliamentary faction offered
For United Russia, Putin’s annual
However, due to hard work
address first if United Russia
even less guarded and more seri-
has a clear-cut plan of reforms the following commentary to
addresses are not just individual
and dedication, the site has
wins enough votes to become a
ous condemnation, describing it
and knows what he wants to RIR:
and scattered documents, but a
become very popular with
majority party again?
as “the road back to the USSR, to
comprehensive strategy of na-
Russian readers and also with
a single-party system, lack of
How do we rate the state of
In most of its goals “Putin’s Plan”
tional development. Each ad-
The competition, which ac- visitors from foreign coun-
is already underway – both
rights, the uncontrolled domi-
dress sets both strategic and tac-
knowledges contributions to tries. Today, InoSmi gets be-
nance of bureaucracy, an ineffec-
our economy?
through the adopted laws and
tical tasks, which we have been
the development of Russia's tween 70,000 and 90,000
the three-year budget, which will
tive economy, cult of personality,
implementing step by step.
Web segment, was created by visitors every day – a very
become effective on January 1.
the Cold War, the arms race, spy
Vladimir Putin is a leader in
the Federal Agency for†Print
-CENTRE
high figure for a serious Russ-
mania, and struggle against ‘the
A
The country is in good shape and
charge of national strategy and
and Mass Media. ian news site.
enemies of the people.”
AD
we have managed to minimize
this is why we have dubbed his
InoSMI received an award InoSMI had previously re-
the most dangerous threats fac-
On the other hand, how well
ideas “Putin’s Plan.” It is our view
in the culture and mass media ceived the "Information Web-
ing it. Now we will embark on the
the plan is genuinely understood
that this plan should be imple-
category. site of the Year” award from
next stage and ensure Russia’s
by the general public is a matter
mented even after Putin leaves
The website, launched by
InoSMI Editor-in-Chief
the EZhE International Union
-CENTRE
rapid progress in all key direc-
of debate. In a poll conducted in
A
office in 2008.
the RIA Novosti news agency
Yaroslav Ognev (left) displays
tions. –
his trophy and gets a helping
of Internet Professionals. Now
SOURCE: LEV
October, sociologists from the in-
AD
in February 2004, has visitors
hand from a colleague (right).
its role in the development of
dependent and respected
What is the Plan’s main priority?
from Russia, the former Sovi- the Russian Internet has been
For more on Putin's plan read
Moscow-based Levada Analyti-
I would actually emphasize five
et republics and other coun- the awards ceremony, InoSMI officially certified with the
Dmitry Babich on
cal Center asked respondents
main ideas. First, that Russia is a
tries. Editor-in-Chief Yaroslav prestigious Runet Award,
www.rbth.rg.ru
whether they had heard any-
In comments made after Ognev said the idea initially
SOURCE: LEV
unique and great civilization, so
Ognev said. –
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