Think of Russia as the Toy that Children Don't Like to Share

PITY Dmitry Medvedev. He is just three weeks from becoming president, and the man he is meant to replace keeps stealing his limelight—and his power. Vladimir Putin formally steps down on May 7th. But he has already ensured that he will stay on as prime minister, and on April 15th he accepted the “invitation” to become leader of the ruling United Russia party, a political movement created by the Kremlin. “I am ready to take on the additional responsibility,” he told a specially-convened party congress.


Mr Putin spent the eight years since he was first elected president building up the powers of the office. He neutered the once-combative legislature and appointed prime ministers distinguished only by their loyalty: Mikhail Fradkov and, since last year, the even duller Viktor Zubkov.


Now Mr Putin is reversing the process, robbing the presidency of its omnipotence. As prime minister and party leader, he will have a tight grip on the country's finances and its regional elites. In theory, Mr Medvedev retains the constitutional right to sack him. But Mr Putin could change the constitution, given that he now leads a party that commands more than two-thirds of the seats in the Duma.


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Well the power battle continues. Putin is now stripping power from the role of President to assure that he is supreme leader when he changes positions. It will be interesting to see if any more changes take place in the next few months. It would also be interesting to hear what Medvedev has to say about his friends actions, and if he himself would rather have all of the control.

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More Putin Power

Mr Putin, who steps down as Kremlin leader next month, told nearly 600 party delegates on Tuesday "I accept the invitation of the party".

Mr Putin is due to hand over the presidency to his long standing aide Dmitry Medvedev. Mr Putin confirmed that he would become prime minister. Correspondents say the party job will give Mr Putin an additional power base.

United Russia controls two-thirds of the seats in parliament, and exerts great influence through its administrative and financial means. The party congress in Moscow was shown live on state-run television. Mr Medvedev declined to join United Russia, saying such a move would be "premature". He is due to be sworn in as president on 7 May. He won the 2 March election by a landslide.

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This new move by soon to be Russian Prime Minister Putin, will give him a new power source. Not only will Putin be sworn in as Prime Minister he will also be leading United Russia, the largest political party in Russia. I believe the people still love Putin as a leader and he desires power. I believe this is why power keeps being handed his way. Putin and Medvedev will make a knock out team covering President, Prime Minister and leading the most powerfull political party in Russia. This will ensure that power will be kept by Putin for years to come. I believe this shows that Putin isn't slipping out of the political spectrum any time soon.

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Putin's New Role

MOSCOW (AFP) — President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday agreed to head Russia's ruling party in a significant shift of the political landscape three weeks before he hands power to successor Dmitry Medvedev.

Putin, who leaves the Kremlin after two terms on May 7, also confirmed he would become prime minister under Medvedev.

"With gratitude I accept the proposal of the party members and their leadership.... I am ready to take on the additional responsibility and head United Russia," he told a party congress in Moscow after being urged to take the post.

The 55-year-old ex-KGB officer's announcement, carried live on state-run television, signalled a reordering of Russia's political mix on the eve of Medvedev's presidential debut.

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Right before Medvedev takes power Putin gives himself one more head role in the government. It has been known that Putin would be the Prime Minister, but he is now also going to be the leader of the most powerful political party in Russia. When Medvedev finally takes power it will be interesting to see whether Putin takes over any more roles and just how much he cuts back.

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Predicted Power Share?

Mr Medvedev won a landslide election victory this month and will replace Mr Putin, who is expected to become his prime minister, in May.

The president-elect told the Financial Times newspaper that the president and government had clearly defined roles. He praised Mr Putin for adhering to the constitution in serving just two terms.

Mr Medvedev said: "It is the president who decides the main positions in domestic and foreign policy. "He is the supreme commander-in-chief, and he takes the key decisions in forming the executive powers. He is the guarantor of the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens."

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Of course as early polls had predicted Medvedev swept the competition in the elections. Now he is pledging that Russia is on the road to change with the successful and peaceful transition of power. While these are good and possibly could lead to change, I believe we should just hold our breath until Medvedev has been in office for a while.

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To change or not to change? That is the question...

Russia's presidential election this weekend may have been flawed, but it reflected that most Russians are pleased with the nation's strong economy and assertive foreign policy, experts and election observers said Monday.

Such views make it unlikely that President-elect Dmitry Medvedev, at least initially, will embark on a far different course from his predecessor and mentor, Vladimir Putin.

Medvedev (pronounced med-VEHD-ev) vowed to uphold Putin's policies. "We will increase stability, improve the quality of life and move forward on the path we have chosen," he said. "We will be able to preserve the course of President Putin."

Medvedev is "going to have an unreceptive public for any real changes … because a lot of people are satisfied," said Toby Gati, who was a State Department official under President Bill Clinton.

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Change has occurred in the form of a new President, but seeing as how Medvedev was handpicked by Putin, the policy of the country will most likely not change. Putin most likely supported him because he knew that he would be willing to follow his path and not change the path that Russia is going down. Though the article does say that the country is content with the way it is run, so maybe that is the way that they should live.

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Medvedev Appears in WSJ

Read what the WSJ has to say about Russia's upcoming leader...

A Jewish President for Russia?

MOSCOW: Allegations by nationalists that Vladimir Putin's chosen successor, Dmitry Medvedev, has Jewish roots have brought anti-Semitism to the surface on the margins of Russia's presidential election campaign.

The first deputy prime minister, who is all but assured of victory on Sunday because he has Putin's support, has said he belongs to the Russian Orthodox faith.

But some nationalist groups say his mother's maiden name, Shaposhnikova, is Jewish, and that he is unfit to be president because of this.

Medvedev's campaign staff declined to confirm or deny he has Jewish roots. The Kremlin condemns all forms of anti-Semitism.



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Recent claims among nationalist groups in Russia are that Medvedev, Putin's successor, is Jewish. These claims are based off of the last name of his mother, which makes them not very credible claims. These tactics are the same smearing tactics that we are currently appearing in the US's election. Though the interesting thing is that these claims have not arisen until a week before the election. In the US they would appear much before that. Since Medvedev is the favored successor it will be interesting to see if these allegations hurt his campaign at all.

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Free Speech is Disappearing in Russia

The murders of outspoken journalists go unsolved, independent media outlets have been shut and police have attacked opposition protesters, said the report.

It also said "arbitrary" laws were curbing the right to express opinion and silencing NGOs deemed to be a threat by the authorities. The report comes ahead of Russian's presidential elections on 2 March.


The director of Amnesty International UK, Kate Allen, said: "The space for freedom of speech is shrinking alarmingly in Russia and it's now imperative that the Russian authorities reverse this trend."

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Supposedly the restriction of free speech has been going on behind the scenes recently and the government is now saying that wish to stop it. Journalists and protesters are being silenced, and anyone who speaks out even slightly against the government pays consequences. It seems to me that the same things regarding free speech rights in authoritarian regimes are showing up in Russia. The reappearance of these actions by the government lead me to believe that the government is now fearing change, and a more democratic state. They have found themselves in the middle of their old ways and it is becoming time for them to either listen to the people and more towards democracy or keep silencing the people and trying to tend to old habits. Medvedev will be the one that will have the most influence on the direction of the country. We will have to wait and see what he will do with his new found position as president.

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Medvedev Ahead in the Polls...Surprise?

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin's anointed successor, Dmitry Medvedev, has the support of 70.4 percent of the voters and will easily win the presidential election next weekend, a poll on Thursday showed.

Strongly backed by both the Kremlin and state-controlled media Medvedev, who is first deputy prime minister, leads his nearest challenger by a healthy margin, pollster VTsIOM said.

Nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky is Medvedev's nearest rival with 10.7 percent support, followed by Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov at 10.3 percent, VTsIOM said.

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The election is fast approaching in Russia and as early indications showed Dmitry Medvedev is a shoe in. Seventy percent in polls is a large margin over the next closest competitor with only ten percent. The high percentage of support is an example of the power that Putin has over the country by suggesting who the next leader be. For example if President Bush were to come out and say that he supported McCain for the next president, would McCain suddenly be in the lead with 70%? That would most likely not be the case. Because of Putin's pull we must ask ourselves is it because of a high legitimacy of the government or is it out of pure fear?

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Only One Real Choice

The only significant challenger of Dmitry Medvedev former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov who has a little chance to win the March, 2. elections was not allowed to the ballot, the AP reports. That could be a great chance for Kremlin critics to call elections unfair and undemocratic

But Nikolai Konkin, secretary of the Central Elections Commission, said a check of the signatures found more than 80,000 to be invalid. In Russia presidential aspirants not affiliated with political parties must submit 2 million signatures supporting their bid to get on the ballot. Kasyanov's campaign said it turned in 2,067,000 signatures.

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This article shows that the elections are already showing a hint of scandal. It seems as though no matter what, no one, but Medvedev will have a fighting chance in this election. Even though Kasyanov went through the trouble of getting the unheard of 2,000,000 signitures , the government still shot him down and he is unable to run. This was the only challenger that could compete with Medvedev. So it is clear now that the person the people and the government wants is Medvedev. However, if you wanted another choice for president, well good luck.

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Medvedev's Goals

Mr Medvedev, a first deputy prime minister, told lawyers it was "necessary to give state employees more thorough and better legal training". President Vladimir Putin has named Mr Medvedev as his preferred successor. The election will be held on 2 March.

Mr Medvedev has refused to take part in live TV debates with rival candidates. The BBC's Russia analyst Steven Eke says a powerful public relations machine has been set in motion to groom Mr Medvedev as the nation's next leader. He is also chairman of the state energy giant Gazprom.

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With Medvedev now exceeding Putin with the people, he has announced some of his goals. He has lead on that their is no tension between Russia and the West. He has also insisted all of the political figures in Russia should get more training, and he is pushing for a huge leap of modernization. With Medvedev refusing to participate in debates, it seems he believes he is higher than all the other candidates.
Also since he is trying to modernize and keep much of Russia's plans secret, Russia may very well become a super power once more. The soviet Union only remained a super power because of its secrecy, and it seems that Medvedev would like to return to this state of secrecy and supremacy.

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Out with the Old, In with the New

Vladimir Putin’s framed photos have been put up on sale
in Russia. Prices on Putin’s framed photos have been cut due to forthcoming presidential election in the nation.

Putin’s persona, the Vladimir Putin brand, goes out of
fashion slowly but surely. Russians are developing a new political addiction – Dmitry Medvedev, Putin’s protégé, his official successor. The propaganda machine has been taking great efforts to promote the new brand across Russia. The new brand, Dmitry Medvedev, has thus been outshining his predecessor – Putin.

It is worthy of note that political factors are intertwined with economic ones. Germany’s Die Welt wrote, for example, that the production of vodka under trademark Putinka has been declining in Russia. Until recently, the brand has been brining the profit of 330 million euros a year.

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Russia is now pushing Putin out and getting ready for Medvedev. Prices have dropped with everything that has to do with Putin and they are being replaced by Medvedev. There is no doubt that Russia will be just as supportive of thier new president as the old. But this raises the question, will Russia lose focus of Putin and soely focus on Medvedev? Will they pay any attention to Putin as Prime Minister? But more importantly will Putin allow himself to drift out of popularity, or will he struggle to stay in the spotlight? Only time will tell if he will go peacefully or if he will try to keep the people. The people may not listen to him as much as he had wanted.

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Dimitri is pretty much a guarantee

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Dmitry Medvedev, named by Russian President Vladimir Putin last month as his favoured successor, launched his personal Internet site on Wednesday.

Photographs on the Web site show Medvedev standing behind Putin, leaning in to listen as Putin speaks across a dinner table, walking without a necktie next to Putin and standing alone while petting a bunny rabbit.

Russia votes to replace Putin, constitutionally prohibited from seeking a third term, on March 2. Medvedev leads in all polls by an overwhelming majority and is expected to win outright in the first round.

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From the beginning Medvedev has been a favorite for the successor to Putin and this trend seems to be continuing. From this we can see the power that Putin holds over his people. By simply telling them Dimitri is the man for the job, they agree. From our point of view we might see Putin as restricting his people’s rights and maybe even oppressive, but in the eyes of the Russian people Putin is a god. So is it better to respect your leader and possibly live where your rights are abridged, or is it better to live where you are free but not respect your leader?

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Dmitry Medvedev Continues To Grow

Dmitry Medvedev, the person who has already won the reputation of Russia’s next president after Vladimir Putin named him his successor, continues to win more and more popularity in Russia nationwide. The majority of those Russians who will go to the polls on March 2, 2008 say that they will vote for Medvedev.

Medvedev has already become a new political icon for many Russians across the nation. His rating has been growing by leaps and bounds recently. A poll conducted by Russia’s Public Opinion Research Center on January 19-22 among 1,600 Russians, showed that 82 percent of the polled would be ready to vote for Medvedev if election took place next Sunday.

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With Medevedev growing just popular with Russians, there is no other option for a Russian president. Medvedev is closing in on 90% approval throughout Russia. He is becoming the new Putin. This is good for the legitimacy rate in Russia, mabe with a leader that is just as popular, Russia may get its foot back into the world scope. The elections are growing even closer, Medvedev will definantly win. The power will transition smoothly and Russia may become even more stable.

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