Carnegie Moscow Center
The All-Russia People’s Front, a creation of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, may succeed in bringing fresh faces into Russian government, but its primary role is to reinforce Putin’s role as national leader.
While Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has shown no signs of being willing to leave power after the 2012 presidential elections, it looks increasingly like there will be no role for President Dmitry Medvedev in the post-election era.
Although Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is aware of the serious problems facing Russia, his address to the State Duma ignored Russia’s existing challenges and instead offered grand promises for the future with the apparent aim of positioning himself for the 2012 presidential elections.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s announcement of new initiatives for improving the investment climate in Russia and reducing corruption demonstrates his readiness to run for a second term.
While Russians are increasingly calling for political reforms, the high price of oil allows the Kremlin to increase social spending and avert broad public discontent for a while longer.
The Russian authorities maintain a monopoly on political power and governance, and although there has been some movement in Russian civil society toward community building and activism, this activity remains fragmented and localized.
Increasingly, Russian experts believe that economic reform in Russia is impossible without the implementation of large-scale political modernization.
In advance of Russian regional elections on March 13, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had to campaign personally for United Russia candidates in order to overcome voter disappointment and push for a strong regional showing for United Russia.
Both the electoral system and the party system in Russia are in deep crisis; the political parties are not ready for a change in the relationship between the government and its people and are unable to position themselves to aid cooperation between the authorities and Russian citizens.
The Kremlin’s reliance on ethnic clan structures to govern the North Caucasus has only maintained and intensified the deep inequalities plaguing the society in the region.