Carnegie Moscow Center
Putin remains the most powerful man in Russia, but the rallies, while failing to yield immediate political change, signal that serious societal shifts are underway.
Though political reforms in Russia are likely to be weakened even further and gubernatorial elections will be restricted by additional limits, the popular push for democracy continues to grow.
In spite of the fact that the pace of political reform in Russian is slowing, the political elites in many Russian regions have already started preparations for the reinstatement of direct elections of governors and mayors.
In the aftermath of the presidential elections, Putin’s uncertain political position and weakened political strength may prove both a domestic and international limitation.
There is no reason to believe that the protests and the problems associated with them will end now that the Duma and presidential elections are over.
Vladimir Putin is expected to win Russia's presidential election on March 4, but growing popular alienation is likely to erode his power.
The recent bill on the State Duma elections seems like a concession to the opposition, but in reality it would actually be a serious obstacle to the development of a full-fledged multiparty system and the strengthening of representative government.
The latest anti-government protest in Moscow on February 4 is further evidence that Putin's legitimacy is slowly eroding.
Recent protests have undermined the legitimacy of Russian authorities and significantly weakened Putin's hold on power. Even if the protests were to unexpectedly stop, the process of chipping away at Putin's regime has been set in motion.
The Kremlin is trying to present President Dmitry Medvedev's new bill as a way of bringing back direct gubernatorial elections, but in fact governors will still remain beholden to the president, not the people.