The Return of Putin.pdf

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1、The Return of PutinAt ameeting of the ruling United Russia party on September 24,RussianPrime Minister Vladimir Putin accepted a proposal byPresident Dmitry Medvedev to compete in next yearspresidential election.The question about whether or not Putinwill run for president finally has an answer.Puti

2、n said there is a“comradely union”between him andMedvedev.They had“agreed long ago on who will do what,”and what they have proposed at the congress was a“well-thought-out”decision,he said.The power tandem between the two politicians has proveneffective,as it has guaranteed Russias overall political

3、andsocial stability as well as economic growth.It is mainly becauseof Russias domestic political rules that they waited toannounce the final presidential candidate.Then President Putin handpicked Medvedev as his successor in2008.Russias Constitution states that a Russian presidentcannot seek a third

4、 term in a row.To make sure he could be thepresident once again and stay at the position for a longerperiod,Putin made extensive preparations.Planning aheadWhen Putin started his second term in 2004,he hinted that hehad his eye on another term.If Russias Constitution didntforbid three successive ter

5、ms,Putin would not have chosenMedvedev as the next president.Putin became prime ministerafter his second term as president,and he has continued to setRussias domestic and foreign policies,even though Medvedevserves as the head of state.With this tactic,Putin continues tostay at the helm of country.M

6、edvedev is a Putin ally.His personal characteristics andadministrative style are quite different to those of Putins.Buthe is a loyal supporter and implementer of Putins policies,known as a mild reformer on Putins team.All these madeMedvedev Putins ideal successor.Before the presidentialelection in 2

7、008,Putin declared that he would win the electiontogether with Medvedev,hinting that Medvedevs success wasequal to Putins holding onto power.Putin also has kept Medvedev on track by setting up acooperative mechanism between them.Unlike his predecessorBoris Yeltsin,Putin didnt quit all political titl

8、es.Instead,hebecame prime minister and set up the Medvedev-Putin powertandem.All Putins confidants stayed in the administration,preparing for a future presidential election.Under theMedvedev-Putin cooperative mechanism,Russian peoplecontinued to associate top state power with Putin.Moreover,Putin st

9、arted to pave his way to the presidency byamending the constitution.Soon after assuming the presidency,Medvedev submitted a constitutional amendment to the StateDuma,the lower house of Russias legislature,suggestingextending the presidential term from four to six years.Theamendment also stated that

10、the longer term will take effectbeginning with the next presidential term.Then,there was arumor that Medvedev might resign within a year,so the countrymight have a presidential election at an earlier date.The rumorreflected the desire of the Russian elite for Putins reelection.After the financial cr

11、isis broke out in 2008,Russias leadershipadjusted the tradi-tional division of responsibilities betweenthe president and prime minister.The Russian Governmentsusual practice was for the president to be responsible forpolitical affairs while the prime minister focused on theeconomy.Now Medvedev and P

12、utin are sharing theresponsibilities and risks of managing the countrys economy.ObstaclesPutin,who left the presidency at the peak of his power,hasplayed a central role in Russias leadership during Medvedevsadministration.But since the political situation has changed alot in the last three years,Put

13、in has to deal with gravechallenges in the runup to the 2012 presidential election.Dissatisfaction about Russias current social conditions is on therise.Some people felt so disappointed about Putins reelectionthat they declared they would not vote or planned for a protestvote in March 2012.The anti-

14、Putin movement is growing.Anti-governmentdemonstrations have broken out in many Russian cities,including Moscow,since 2008,calling for a Russia without Putin.The number of protesters at large demonstrations exceeded10,000.Worse still,the ruling partys popularity is decreasing sharply.Votes for Unite

15、d Russia were below 50 percent in many regionalelections last year.Even Putins advisors predicted peoplessupport for Medvedev,Putin and United Russiawould“disastrously”slide in the next eight months.Some people and social groups are calling for reforming theexisting electoral system in Russia.They h

16、ave said if the currentsystem is not changed,the international community mightrefuse to recognize the election result.Then,the legitimacy ofthe new government would be questioned,and there might bewidespread protests in the country.Western countries are exerting pressure on Russia about Putinspartic

17、ipation in the presidential election.U.S.Vice President JoeBiden said he doesnt support Putin running for presidentduring his visit to Russia in March.The Washington Post pointedout that if Putin is reelected,foreign investors could be scaredaway due to fears of corruption and lack of a sense of saf

18、ety,coupled with Putins perceived anti-Western stance.AdvantagesIn spite of all these obstacles,Putin still has many unmatchedadvantages for being Russian president again.Despite the Russian Governments poor performance inaddressing the financial crisis,Putins personal charisma hashardly been damage

19、d.He has remained a symbol for Russiaspeace and stability.Russians still count on Putin to helpmaintain public security in Russia with his tough work style.They tend to put the blame for economic and social problemson oligarchies,corrupt officials and police with no integrity,rather than the prime m

20、inister himself.In February,Putinspopularity rating stood at 73 percent.Medvedev has tried his best to help Putin back to thepresidency.During the past three years,he has not onlydiscussed all major issues with Putin,but also stayed withPutins team instead of founding his own.He didnt steal Putinsth

21、under during his administration,either.Medvedev has alsokept quiet about reelection,bringing down Russiansexpectations for him to seek a second term.The key for Putin is that he will not have a competitor who canpose a real threat to him in the coming presidential election.Other parties in Russia ar

22、e not able to pick a candidate that canchallenge Putin.Putin and his team are also well prepared.United Russia forgedan alliance with the Federation of Independent Trade Unions ofRussia to support Putins presidential bid.Putin founded theAll-Russia Peoples Front in May to call on different sectors o

23、fsociety to vote for him.All these are aimed at eliminatingpossible obstacles and preparing for the 2012 presidentialelection.Putin stepped down at the height of his political career in 2008because of constitutional limits.But his ambition of leading hiscountry to prosperity has never faded away.People have reasonto believe that Putin will create another miracle and help bringa strong and prosperous Russia back to the world stage.