Vladimir Putin’s election campaign has started as usual. Meeting the editors-in-chief of newspapers and television channels are becoming its integral part and, to some extent, tradition. This time Putin communicated with the fourth estate chiefs in two regimes: in the open part they discussed general problems and in the second part something more intimate. As the editor-in-chief of the radio station Ekho Moskvy Aleksei Venediktov said, the second part was longer and more passionate. It should be noted that in the first part Venediktov caught it from Putin though it was the editor-in-chief who suggested meeting and talking. Putin thought it over and decided that he had to accept.
If someone thought that Putin had changed as a result of the progress in Russia’s public mind, two numerous meetings held and another one prepared, this person is deeply mistaken. It is clear: a leopard cannot lose its spots. Even answering a very practical question about the necessity to reform the judiciary asked by the editor-in-chief and owner of Nezavisimaya Gazeta Konstantin Remchukov the presidential candidate made it clear that this question is far from being priority for him.
It is much more important to him that the writer Boris Akunin is an ethnical Georgian. Some time was spared to this, in Putin’s opinion, important factor that determined writer’s negative attitude to the Russian-Georgian war. It cuts Putin to the heart, but he understands that an ethnical Georgian cannot have another opinion. However, some of the Georgian oppositionists clearly demonstrate that the ethnical Georgians are able to support the Kremlin’s expansion to the South Caucasus. It is not an ethnical issue but a political one.
The passage about Akunin’s ethnicity was not accidental but carefully thought over. The organizers of the meeting clearly understood that the opposition moods will be obligatory discussed.
Though the meeting was held with quite a prepared part of the society, the ethnical turn was addressed not to the people at the table but to those whom Putin considers his support and his electorate. The long reflections about the Russian-Georgian war and his attitude towards it were addressed to them. If Akunin, a Georgian first of all, did not support the war he is not a patriot. Secondly, all those who do not support me are alike. It means that all those rotten liberals are not patriots and there is nothing to be discussed with them. However, if they want to meet we can do it. It is a standard method of the Soviet propaganda when instead of substantial discussions they started speaking about one’s eye color, relatives, origin, etc.
The evidence of the fact that Putin and his position concerning the freedom of speech have not changed were his open attacks against Aleksei Venediktov. On the one hand, he thrust out his patience to the nonsense he heard at the radio station Ekho Moskvy during his holiday with Dmitry Medvedev. On the other hand, he made it clear that there is a limit to everything, in particular, to prime-minister’s patience as well. Venediktov’s remark that many people would like to close down Ekho Moskvy but Putin does not allow doing it was absolutely irrelevant. Probably, the editor-in-chief of a radio station should have said it because of his position and political situation in Moscow. However, everyone clearly understands that if Putin could do it this radio station would be closed down long time ago, however, he has to keep up appearances and give people the possibility to express their dissatisfaction at least in the capital. This is why the presidential candidate is extremely negative about everything said in the radio station studio.
Putin’s article in Izvestiya and his meeting with the editors-in-chief clearly set the trend of prime minister’s election campaign.
Firstly, the special emphasis will be laid on the mobilization of the wage earners having financial difficulties. During the meeting with the editors-in-chief Putin deliberately touched upon the unfair privatization of the 1990s. He gave one more hint to his electors of who is to blame in their misfortune. Oligarchs are, but they are far and the owners of the shops, workshops and factories are near. Only Putin can protect from their lawlessness. He augmented the pensions and gave apartments to the military. People cannot do without their advocate. People’s negative attitude towards the middle class will be actively promoted.
Secondly, the anti-western moods are being escalated. The hackneyed accusation that all the oppositionist NGOs are funded from abroad was used again. Putin’s angry speech during the meeting with the editors was about the problem of anti-missile defense. If we abstract from the tangled explanations, the point was that the closer the American radars are to the Russian borders the worse it is for Russia’s safety and it is clear who the enemies are and who helps them within the country.
Thirdly, the anti-western superstitions will be exploited together with putting the blame on the nationalistic electorate. It is vital for Putin not to allow them to go to Ziuganov and the whole anti-socialistic remark was dedicated to it during the meeting with the editors-in-chief. The fact that some of such organizations went out to Sakharov Avenue carrying their flags seriously worried the directors of premier’s election campaign. According to Putin, the best way to influence the nationalists is redirecting them to the fight with the West that embodies the universal evil.
Putin is concerned about one thing. This is his legitimacy after a significant part of Russia’s population does not recognize the results of the elections. However, he does not know what to do with it. That is why he did not directly answer the question by the director general of the television company NTV Vladimir Kulistikov asking whether the prime minister would honestly win on March 4. Putin’s assurances that he is not holding the power are not longer convincing. There is a way out of this situation, but Putin cannot accept it.
COMMENTARY
“He has already ‘divorced’ with the country”
Vladimir KORSUNSKY, editor-in-chief of the website grani.ru:
“This conversation is the evidence of the fact that nothing has changed. However, Putin did not hide that he invited everybody for a usual pre-election ‘working-up’ when the whole country is entering a new election cycle. In all probability, he is not going to talk to anyone and look for a compromise with the people and resolve the problems Russia and Russian authorities are facing. He directly said during the meeting that he would be the president and would not leave and it is ‘Bandar-logs’’ fault since he repeatedly called them: ‘Bandar-logs, come here!’ and there were no any other offers from him. However, the ‘Bandar-logs’ do not want to compromise with him.
“His invitation to be the guests at the prime-mister’s award ceremony should not be taken seriously either. When the award is given the talks are not carried out. The people just prove that they were at one and the same place and he could have used it. This is what he wanted from them, of course they did not come there.
“Putin never realized that any of his declarations or actions only aggravate the situation and are unfavorable for the authorities. He was also confused during this meeting. Putin’s attempt to speak one and the same language with Venediktov failed. As a result, the prime minister’s words that he ‘is not offended’ sounded as a threat. I do not think that the editor-in-chief of Ekho Moskvy Aleksei Venediktov is that much scared since over the last moths, especially after the parliamentary elections all Putin’s declarations cause laughter. He does not realize that he is getting more and more ridiculous.
“The meeting with the ‘Electors’ League’ he spoke about is the evidence of authorities’ embarrassment. Putin wants to talk about how to keep the power. People can only speak about how Putin can peacefully transfer the power. There is President Medvedev who has to assure the transfer of the power, not changing himself to Putin, but honest elections and equal possibilities for all the candidates. Putin cannot even think about it. Even if such meeting (with the “Electors’ League”. – Ed.) had happened it would not have given anything. The team of his like-minded people got extremely rich under his rule, all of them became billionaires owning large property in Russia. Today they represent not only the political but financial and judicial authorities in Russia. Of course, they do not want to lose anything. However, we should not expect the results of these talks. Putin would have never done it in his life if he had not felt his weakness. He has already ‘divorced’ with the country.”
