01.03.2008
Russian Politics in Review
February, 2008The following resource is meant to quickly introduce the reader to politics issues in Russia - with a focus on the upcoming elections, political parties, and political personages. This news review is part of SRAS's monthly "obzor" publications. For more reviews, see the newsletter for this corresponding month. To receive the free monthly newsletter and obzori by email, simply sign up.
Elections
Although apathetic, Russians will vote; OSCE boycotts Pollster predicts Medvedev will get 75% of vote in March polls
Fyodorov also said that voter turnout on March 2 would be around 70.7%. Foreign Exchange w/RIA Novosti Chief
This streaming video features an interview on Medvedev's candidacy and what the elections might mean for Russia. RFE/RL Poll Shows Voters Approaching Election With Mix Of Hope, Cynicism
Despite such election-season skepticism, more than three-quarters of Russian voters say they plan to cast ballots in the March 2 vote. Dmitry Medvedev, is expected to win easily. OSCE election watchdog to boycott Russian polls
Moscow hit out furiously on Thursday at an announcement by the OSCE's main election watchdog that it would stay away from Russia's March 2 presidential polls, calling the decision "unacceptable". Voters Pressured to Choose Medvedev
Governors know that they need the support of the likely next president, Dmitry Medvedev, to keep their jobs, and they are working hard to get out the vote for him on March 2, a senior election official said. Russia's Media Outlets Increasing Coverage Of Presidential Candidates
Between January 28 and February 3, Dmitry Medvedev was mentioned in 782 articles, Vladimir Zhirinovsky in 208, Andrei Bogdanov in 182, and Gennady Zyuganov in 169 articles. Kremlin "co-opts" ad firms into Russia vote campaign
Executives with the advertising companies said local officials had demanded billboard space at below-market rates, exploiting the firms' fears that local authorities could take reprisals against them if they refuse to comply. Medvedev Alone Spared Critical Ads
Ads at polling stations will inform voters that presidential candidates Gennady Zyuganov, Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Andrei Bogdanov concealed their true incomes while applying to run, the Central Elections Commission said Monday. Bonuses Tied to Russian Vote
Money that would be spent organizing a second round of voting can instead go to staff bonuses, they said. About one billion rubles, or about $40.6 million, has been earmarked. Gorbachev, Rebuking Putin, Criticizes Russian Elections
"Something is wrong with our elections, and our electoral system needs a major adjustment." Medvedev
Lays out plans; Pundits split in opinions Presidential Campaign, Platform Medvedev Launches Medvedev2008.ru
Read Medevedev's major speeches – in English or Russian! Medvedev Ignores Campaign in Russia as Shoo-In Putin Successor
One thing the front-runner in Russia's presidential race has barely done is talk in public about the March 2 election. Medvedev says 'four I's key' to Russia's economic program
Dmitry Medvedev, a presidential favorite, said Friday that his election program contained four key areas - Institutions, Infrastructure, Innovation, Investment. I will be the boss, says likely Russian president
"There cannot be two, or three or five centres (of power). The president is in charge of Russia, and under the constitution there can only be one president." Likely Russian leader lifts lid on private life
He recalled how he had grown up in a 40 square meter (430 sq ft) apartment in Kupchino, a blue-collar suburb on the outskirts of St Petersburg. His father taught at a polytechnic institute and money was tight, he said. Medvedev war chest
BBC's James Rodgers wonders whether the clear favourite, Dmitry Medvedev, knows how to spend his massive war chest. Medvedev confirms Moscow plans to strengthen cooperation with Washington
"The United States of America and Russia will still have to cooperate, whatever is the disposition of their leaders. It is inevitable." Putin, Medvedev courting Russia's green vote
After decades of Soviet neglect, followed by a period in which the focus was firmly on rapid economic growth, Russia has more than its share of environmental degradation. The Medvedev Doctrine
"Medvedevnomics" - Medvedev's conception of economics - incorporates all the basic elements of "Putinomics…" But Medvedev's Krasnodar speech also included some new highlights. Putin's likely successor meets the Cossacks, legendary symbols of Russian patriotism
Dmitry Medvedev, the man who seems destined to be Russia's next president, came to the heartland of the Cossacks on Friday in an apparent bid by the bookish lawyer to impress Russia's legendary warrior caste. Medvedev’s social record under the spotlight
The National Projects are intended to improve the lives of ordinary Russians in the areas of health, housing, education and agriculture. The social programme has been Medvedev's baby since 2006… Copy China and invest abroad, says Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s most likely next president, called on Russian business people on Thursday to copy China and go on a global buying spree of foreign companies to bolster the economy and cut dependence on technology from abroad. Political Forecasts Dmitry Medvedev: Russia's New Kennedy?
Dmitry Medvedev has all necessary preconditions to lead Russia to a completely innovative and open society: a strong economy, vast public support, his own education and experience. Putin's handover of power is no charade
The potential for change under a new president should not be dismissed. Medvedev Presidency – Continuity, Change, Confrontation
Medvedev has been very careful to point out that he intends continuing with Putin’s strategy of reforming Russia’s economy and improving the social backdrop. A Medvedev Presidency: Implications for Chechen-Russian Relations
Why is Kadyrov so comfortable with Medvedev’s candidature? Russia's Medvedev No Democratic Alternative
It isn't hard to find examples of Russian First Deputy Prime Minister and all-but-certain presidential successor Dmitry Medvedev making sweeping affirmations of liberal values. North Caucasus poses problems for Medvedev
Moscow sent thousands of extra soldiers and tanks to Ingushetia last year to quell what it described as a surge in rebel attacks. Last month the Russian military declared Nazran an "anti-terrorist zone," restricting movement in and around the town before the rally. When Medvedev becomes president
The media are predicting that Russia will soon see some state administration reforms, changes to youth politics, and milder dialogue with the West. Will the change of president split the elite?
Hopefully, Putin has created a clever political elite that will now have to pass a serious test in political maturity. Other Presidential Candidates Hope For Russian Liberals' Unification Wanes
One more unification project, this time proposed by the right-of-center Right Forces Union SPS, has been rejected by all likely participants. Nemtsov suspends membership of SPS, offers no reason
(entry 7) Former First Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov announced on February 12 that he has suspended his membership in the Union of Rightist Forces (SPS), which he co-founded. Zhirinovsky's First Campaign Brawl
LDPR leader Zhirinovsky, dissatisfied with the course of the conversation, struck Bogdanov's representative Nikolay Gotsa several times. Medvedev's challengers play by the Kremlin's rules
Bogdanov and Zhirinovsky proudly posted Putin's comments on their parties' Web sites. Russians Skeptical of Presidential Candidate
In Russia, there's a man running for president that most people — including Russians — have never heard of: Andrei Bogdanov is the head of the little-known Democratic Party. Not Your Standard Presidential Candidate. (re Andrei Bogdanov)
Now meet Andrei Bogdanov, the presidential candidate with long, curly hair who heads up the country's largest Masonic lodge as well as the Democratic Party of Russia. Russia's top court rejects ex-PM Kasyanov's election bid
Former prime minister Kasyanov was denied registration as a presidential contender after the Central Election Commission (CEC) ruled that over 13% of signatures collected to support his bid were either fake or unverifiable. His support team rejected the forgery claims as "political pressure." Empresses and tsars try to enter Russia's presidential race
Four so called empresses and one tsar attempted to register as candidates for Russia's presidential polls due March 2, the chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) said. Putin
Will remain powerful political force Putin Says He Achieved All Goals of His Presidency
Full text of Putin's last annual press conference as President. How Putin is inspired by history
Orlando Figes, professor of history at London's Birkbeck College, says Mr Putin's home city of St Petersburg may be a window on Europe, but it can also been seen as a fortress against foreign opponents. Putin says he will be long-serving, powerful prime minister
President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he intended to become a powerful and long-serving prime minister after leaving the Kremlin but rejected suggestions he would dictate orders to his likely successor. A George Washington Moment, Putin Style
Russia’s outgoing president may think he can hang on to the reins of power, but his own story is the best reminder that even hand-picked successors can have minds their own. Putin Strengthens His Legacy
In five years, the state has increased its share of the stock market from 24 percent to 40 percent Putin: an alternative view
Several Internet users chime in with opinions, good and bad, about the outgoing Russian President. Putin Makes Surprise Visit to Mountains
President Vladimir Putin on Monday visited a military unit in an area of the North Caucasus where fighting in 1999 led to the Chechen war that first propelled him to popularity. Youth Politics
Nashi reorganized; more becoming active The future that young Russians want
The Putin generation is often worldly, optimistic, and enthusiastic about democracy - as they define it. Nashi Rally In Front of U.S. Embassy, RAO UES Office
Some 5,000 activists of the Nashi movement staged rallies in front of headquarters of RAO UES of Russia and the U.S. Embassy, Nashi briefer Kristina Potupchik said. Nashi and the Young Guard
"I was never political until I was 18. But in 2004, I was in Ukraine on a tourist trip with my friends, and I saw happy people who were protesting," says Mr. Elizarov, referring to the Orange Revolution, which brought hundreds of thousands into the streets to protest fraudulent elections. Children of the Revolution
A new generation of Russians tries to become politically active. Generation Putin Eyes the World Warily
37% said some form of the Soviet system of government would be superior. Nashi Perestroika
Overall, in political and institutional terms, Nashi’s reorganization and consolidation makes political sense. Activism, Opposition, Other Issues
Civil rights eroded in Putin's Russia
New report from Amnesty.
Getting Tough on Corruption
Recent official statements are giving Russians the clearest signals yet that battling corruption will be a top priority in the next several years. Russian Clans Drive Kremlin Infighting
Some observers see the Russian government as increasingly split by internal rivalries. Politkovskaya Case Fur Clue
The gun used to kill Novaya Gazeta reporter Anna Politkovskaya contained fur from a dog owned by three Chechen suspects now in custody. Khodorkovsky still defiant
Transcript of Khodorkovsky interview from Siberia. Russia Has Four Categories of Political Prisoners
... says Lev Ponomarev, head of the For Human Rights movement and member of the executive committee of the "Other Russia" opposition movement. Civil Rights Groups Unite at Protest Event
Twenty five political and social organizations gathered peacefully to protest against Kremlin policies… Putin's Torture Colonies
And correctional colony No. 5, located not far from the Manchurian border, does not even make the list of the worst penal colonies in the country.
« back to News archive
|
