“I ask the President to run for president. “There is still much work to do.” (Artyom Zoga, Commander of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR))
“It’s time to make a decision. “I will run for election.” (Russian President Vladimir Putin)
President Putin (71) presented medals to soldiers who participated in Ukraine’s ‘special military operation’ (Russian expression for invasion operation) at the Kremlin Palace on the 8th, and then formalized his presidential bid by answering the DPR commander’s request to run for office. did. DPR is a pro-Russian separatist force that has been fighting against the Ukrainian regime, and Russia incorporated it into its territory after the outbreak of war. President Putin attempted to kill two birds with one stone, securing the legitimacy of the war in Ukraine and the justification for running for president at the same time by formalizing his bid for a fifth term by accepting a request from a war veteran to run for president.
The Russian presidential election will be held from March 15th to 17th next year. President Putin, who had virtually no rivals, reigned as a modern-day tsar for 30 years from 2000 to 2030. He can remain in power until 2036, when he turns 84, by abolishing the consecutive term system.
As a result of a survey of 1,600 adults conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center VTsIOM from the 27th of last month to the 3rd of this month, public trust in President Putin was found to be 78.5%. The approval rating for the government also reached 75.8%. Even considering the fact that there is little public opinion critical of the government due to control of the media, economic growth played a large role in this solid approval rating.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) analyzed, “Due to the revitalization of the defense industry due to the war, the unemployment rate has recently fallen to 3%, the lowest ever since 1991,” and “Compensation for injuries and military salaries have stimulated domestic demand.” The Washington Post (WP) said, “With the domestic tourism industry revitalizing (due to Western sanctions), Moscow restaurants are having a hard time.” When the war began, many people expected the collapse of the Russian economy. However, the departure of foreign workers due to the fall in the value of the ruble and the reorganization of the trade structure centered on friendly countries due to the withdrawal of foreign companies had a positive effect on the domestic economy.
In fact, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts Russia’s economic growth rate to be 1.5% this year. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) raised its growth forecast for next year announced in November to 1.1%.
Political conditions also appear to have stabilized. The unexpected death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, former head of the Wagner Group, a Russian private mercenary company, in a plane crash after an armed rebellion ultimately served as an opportunity for the Russian elite to increase their loyalty to Putin. As the Ukraine war enters its 22nd month, the West’s support momentum is weakening, and the attention of the international community, including the United States, has been divided by the Israel-Hamas war, which is also good news.
The international community’s reaction to President Putin’s declaration of candidacy for president is cold. John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the White House’s National Security Council (NSC), sarcastically said on the 8th, “I think it will be a very great race.” Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized Russia’s decision, saying, “The international community must firmly condemn Russia’s intention to hold presidential elections in occupied Ukrainian territory,” adding, “Any election held in Russia has nothing to do with democracy.”
Although the Russian opposition has become virtually powerless due to the suppression of the Putin regime, Alexei Navalny, a representative opposition leader in prison, has started a project called ‘Organizing Navalny’s election campaign’. The intention is to mobilize opposing public opinion as much as possible.
Some say that President Putin’s iron-fisted politics are the result of experiences accumulated since childhood. He dreamed of becoming a State Security Committee (KGB) foreign intelligence agent from the age of 10, listening to the saga of his father, who worked for the Soviet secret police (NKVD) during World War II. He actually worked for the KGB and later the Federal Security Service (FSB) for nearly 20 years. He took control of Russia’s political, economic, and judicial systems based on intimate information in a culture that eliminated political opponents without hesitation.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.