An impressive delegation of mostly foreign political experts of the Valdai Club gathered on Monday afternoon for a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Sochi. Experts of Nezavisimaya Gazeta register activeness of Putin that has grown lately but are not inclined to connect it with the presidential campaign if only the race does not start ahead of schedule.
This time, expert of Washington-based center for study of American progress Samuel Charap decided to find out the intentions of the tandem regarding the elections of 2012. Charap referred to the last year’s statement of Vladimir Putin that the Prime Minister together with Dmitry Medvedev would decide who would run for presidency. Charap asked, «let us presume that you score majority of votes at the electrons. Do you se any damage for development of the political system of Russia from such change?»
The Prime Minister not just answered the question. There was a challenge in his words when he reminded the expert about the history of the US, «In the past, US President Roosevelt was elected four times in succession. In succession! Because this did not contradict the American Constitution. Neither I, nor President Medvedev will do anything that contradicts the laws being in effect in Russia and the main law of the country, Constitution of the Russian Federation.»
Putin proposed to members of the Valdai Club the same version of participation of the tandem in the future tandem that he had already voiced frequently, «We will act proceeding from the real situation in the country, from what we have done and from attitude of the society. In any case, it is too early to speak about this yet. We need to do our business and each of us is doing his business. In my opinion, we are working efficiently in general and this is very important.» Thus, we can only guess if Putin and Medvedev have already sat down and talked. If this is so, what have they decided? There is an impression that there has been no decisive conversation about this topic yet. Alexei Malashenko, member of the research council of the Moscow Carnegie Center, explained the underlying idea of this message of Putin the following way, «The Prime Minister tells us, «We have established our on political system and you will deal with it.» However, the expert remarks that the Prime Minister does not recall the reasons due to which Roosevelt has been elected the president four times, «This is a very important aspect. He was elected because there was crisis in the country and war afterwards. References to the American history of the times of depression demonstrate internal readiness of the authorities for a similar situation in Russia. Four terms of Roosevelt are not necessary when normal development is underway.» Malashenko is convinced that this circumstance should be taken into account by those who hear Putin, «Apprehensions about the fate of the country are in the mind of leaders of the country.» Meanwhile, head of Efficient Policy fund Gleb Pavlovsky considers the reference to Roosevelt on the part of Putin accurate but having «nothing to do with the elections of 2012.» Malashenko is not inclined to view the energetic but vague statements of Putin about the future elections as beginning of an election campaign, «Even if there is already such decision, it is too early to start it. Leaders may make the electorate tired. It is possible that both need to have a pause now. They are too hasty!» In any case, Malashenko admits appointment of elections for an earlier date. In his opinion, the current activeness of the tandem can be explained by decrease of the rating of leaders of the country, «There are definitely real parameters of popularity of the President and the Prime Minister on top. These are not those parameters that are published by the state statistical services. In my opinion, the rating situation is bad there.» The remark that the Prime Minister and the President are people of «one party» also looks interesting to experts among the answers of Putin. Pavlovsky remarks, «In a certain sense, this is just. In a broad sense of the word the matter is about the team that has been governing the country in the last ten years. It is possible to view it as a kind of party because it is united by a certain political concept and succession of the main line.»
In any case, Pavlovsky says that Putin and Medvedev, «if we speak about the ruling party in the broad sense and not in the narrow sense about One Russia, even if they are pressed to it, they represent its different wings. Each of them has his own concept. Putin has done his work well. Medvedev starts the next job equally important for existence of the state but it is different.» Pavlovsky is convinced that not stability is the priority of the country now but development and overcoming of archaism in our life, «especially in the executive structures that became uncontrollable, got commercialized and turned into big business at expense of the citizens. It is an intolerable situation and it is necessary to change it. This is agenda of Medvedev and not Putin.»
Member of the research council of the Moscow Carnegie Center Nikolai Petrov views the statement of Putin about «one party» also as a characteristic for One Russia, «It seems that leaders of the country view the ruling party as an administrative cooperative that units all bureaucrats. Of course, in this sense it is not important if the President has a membership card.» It seemed amazing for the expert that there was no meeting of members of the Valdai Club with Medvedev, «It seems to me that this is an interesting signal. It seems that Putin has found time, although as I remember the meeting with Medvedev has been on the initial agenda and it has been unclear when the meeting with Putin will take place. I have not seen an explanation of this decision yet.»
At the meeting Putin demonstrated that he was not going to interfere into the process of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The Prime Minister says that it is not his business. He answered this to Editor-in-Chief of Gazeta Wyborcza Adam Mihnik.
According to Mihnik, the Prime Minister spoke about Khodorkovsky as about «a murderer and bandit.» Malashenko presumes that it is possible that henceforth all conversations about differences in views of Medvedev and Putin at the process of Khodorkovsky will stop, «The Prime Minister reacted to the relevant question to harshly and nervously. On the one hand, this shows that the tandem has had some disputes about this matter. On the other end, it is noticeable that Putin wants to stop the discussions. If Khodorkovsky is released the former head of YUKOS will be able to influence the balance of forces in the tandem by the merge fact of his existence at large.»
