Carnegie Moscow Center
While political modernization remains unrealized under President Medvedev, as the Russian situation becomes increasingly complex, the Kremlin will likely be forced to embrace modernization as the only path to political survival.
The new mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, has already introduced a host of initiatives, and while it remains to be seen whether he will be an effective manager, he seems unlikely to be satisfied with merely preserving the status quo.
In spite of the tight administrative controls that the Kremlin used to influence the recent regional elections, United Russia may soon realize it needs to change its strategy and consider allowing greater diversity and political freedom.
The series of United Russia interregional conferences are clearly part of a larger election campaign and will likely be used to help hasten early State Duma elections.
The dismissal of Moscow Mayor Luzhkov marks the end of a political era and may well be the last sharply competitive political struggle between rival camps under the ruling tandem.
The dismissal of Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and the surrounding public speculation provide a glimpse inside Russia’s political system, its organization, and the people who inhabit it.
The recent controversy surrounding Moscow’s Mayor Luzhkov underscores how the current leadership is unable to build a consensus or reach a compromise among the leading business groups and has dealt a heavy blow to the mayor's legitimacy.
While previous presidential envoys were typically former military officers, recent appointees, like the new envoy to the Siberian Federal District, are professional economists, demonstrating Moscow’s awareness of the need to develop regional economies.
Current economic, social and political conditions are more likely to push Russian voters toward opposition candidates than United Russia’s candidates, with potentially significant ramifications for the ruling party.
The Kremlin’s decision not to nominate Kaliningrad Governor Georgy Boos to serve a second term was a response to large scale popular demonstrations and the complaints of the opposition.