Protests herald political obstacles for Putin ahead of election

Thousands participated in demonstrations in Moscow on March 26 in protest against President Vladimir Putin and demanding Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to step down. The rally in Moscow is the largest since 2012. In fact, the clout of domestic opposition forces in Russia has been decreasing in recent years, and the Kremlin has tightened its control over exterior forces attempting to intervene in Russia’s domestic affairs, and therefore, the demonstration on such a scale is unexpected.

“Anti- corruption” was one of the main themes of the rallies. According to reports, protesters accused Medvedev of owning yachts, vineyards and lavish mansions, which was later denied by Medvedev’s spokesperson as “propagandistic attacks.” Objectively speaking, corruption is one of the most difficult issues facing Russia’s domestic politics, but Putin’s efforts in combating corruption in recent years are worthy of applause. An anti- corruption department dedicated to verifying officials’ expense declarations and detecting possible corruption attempts was established in 2013. Russia ratified the Organization for Economic Co- operation and Development Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in 2012 to impose stricter supervision over officials.

Taking anti- corruption as an excuse, the goals of opposition forces are different than Putin’s. They are using “anti- corruption” as a propaganda tool for next year’s presidential election. Their primary target is the Putin administration, rather than corrupt officials. Putin, on the contrary, has attached great importance to fighting corruption since the beginning of his term in office and has talked about combat measures on several occasions. He dismissed over 20 high- level officials from their posts earlier this year, according to media reports.

The protests are closely linked to Russia’s presidential election to be held next March. The opposition attempts to use the demonstration as a tool to attack the current administration and swing the public opinion to their side for the election. With such a large scope, the rallies herald a number of obstacles that the Putin’s administration may face prior to the upcoming election. Activities of this kind may occur from time to time for which Putin should be well- prepared.

Russia has a Western- style multi- party system, but at the same time, is considered by many as an authoritarian regime. Western countries and the opposition forces, accusing Russia of being “autocratic,” tend to promote the multi- party system within the country. This has triggered political uncertainties. In fact, in the first decade since the collapse of the former Soviet Union, Russia had seen radical partisan politics, which has not brought stability, but more political tur- moil, to the country.

Moscow has its political tradition, and it is impossible for it to adopt a system that completely resembles the model of Western countries. Despite the fact that Russia is geographically close to the West and has been deeply influenced by Western culture, the Russian society wants the country to be ruled by a political strongman like Putin. Complete Westernization in politics is not suitable for Russia’s development.

The Kremlin should address the current political challenges in a comprehensive way. Improving the citizens’ living standards is a priority at the moment to soothe public dissatisfaction. Russia allows and accepts orderly protests, but the recent demonstration was chaotic and has posed severe threats to public security. The arrest of unruly protesters is legal according to Russian law. The Putin administration should put more efforts to prevent similar incidents from happening or even escalating into larger- scale conflicts. Bloody incidents, if any, will be turned into excuses by exterior forces to attack Russia’s current regime and its political system, of which the Kremlin should be aware and cautious.

In the meantime, it is quite common for a regime to have oppositions.

In fact, Putin’s supporters are much more powerful than the opposition forces. Putin should make full use of his high approval rate to cope with the current political challenges and prepare for next year’s election.

The article is compiled by Global Times reporter Liu Jianxi based on an interview with Zhao Huasheng, director of the Center for Russia and Central Asia Studies with Fudan University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn