Putin Backers Seek to Extend His Stay
Nov 15 11:01 AM US/EasternBy MANSUR MIROVALEVAssociated Press Writer
TVER, Russia (AP) - Hundreds of grim citizens jammed a theater here Thursday, vowing to hold parliament accountable for executing President Vladimir Putin's policies even after he steps down next year.
The gathering was one of the most visible in a series of recent demonstrations, testimonials and appeals across Russia's 11 time zones, urging Putin to remain in power somehow after his second term ends this spring. He is barred by law from seeking another term as president.
Critics have called the outpouring of support for Putin evidence that a personality cult has sprung up around the 55-year-old former KGB lieutenant colonel. But hundreds of members of the "All Russia Council of Initiative Groups to Support Putin," who gathered Thursday, listened to a parade of speakers describe Putin's leadership as crucial to Russia's future.
"The existence of our group is needed until Putin's plan is implemented and until we make sure that Putin remains an active leader of our country," said Irina Nosachevskaya, from Russia's Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad.
Colorful banners from Russia's more than 80 regions decorated the walls of a former theater in this city, surrounded by snowy forests 100 miles northwest of Moscow. But the tone was somber, as council members pledged political allegiance to a president officially heading for retirement.
"We will follow Putin as we followed our commanders during the war," declared Mikhail Shebanov, who took the stage dressed in a uniform jacket resplendent with Soviet-era medals and ribbons.
Pavel Astakhov, a prominent lawyer and TV personality, told reporters after the meeting that the council wants Putin to remain in power following the parliamentary elections Dec. 2 and the presidential contest in March—and that the title Putin chooses isn't important.
"We will offer Putin a position from which he will be able to lead the country," Astakhov said. "After December's and March's elections, it's still possible for him to stay at the helm. The choice is up to him between prime minister, speaker of parliament or the head of the largest party."
Astakhov denied that support for Putin amounted to a cult of personality, such as those that grew up around Soviet leaders like Josef Stalin. "We had such a strong inoculation against it, that there is no place for it in modern Russia," he said.
To some critics, the pro-Putin chorus smacks of the highly orchestrated outpourings of sentiments in the Soviet era. And there are questions about how these efforts are being coordinated and financed.
Irina Blokhina, one of coordinators of the All Russia Council, said the council's expenses have been paid out of donations from businessmen and sympathizers. She denied that any participants received money. "None of us got a kopek," she said. "We were all working free of charge."
There is no doubt about Putin's popularity.
During his presidency, Russia has experienced steady economic growth and recently his approval ratings have hovered above 70 percent. But he has also benefited from the disappearance of opposition voices from most major media—following a Kremlin campaign against Putin's most powerful critics.
Enthusiastic supporters have urged parliament to amend the constitution to allow Putin to serve a third consecutive term, but he has rejected that idea. He announced Oct. 1 that he might become prime minister, but later denied widespread speculation that he would use the post—if he seeks it—to maintain power.
Putin has insisted he will no longer be in charge after the March presidential elections. But he has left the door open to running for president again in 2012 or earlier, if there are new elections, since the constitution does not rule out a third nonconsecutive term.
Putin last month lent his explicit support to the largest pro-Kremlin party, United Russia, seemingly ensuring its landslide victory in the parliamentary election. He'll appear on the party ticket in that vote mainly as a figurehead, and is not expected to serve in the legislature.
A big win for the party, he said Tuesday during a trip to Siberia, would give him the "moral right" to hold lawmakers and government officials accountable for implementing his policies.
Also on Thursday, the leader of the Union of Right Forces, or SPS—one of the leading liberal democratic opposition parties—said his group has asked a court to disqualify Putin from appearing on the United Russia ticket.
SPS leader Nikita Belykh accused Putin of violating the law by throwing the Kremlin's weight behind United Russia in the elections.
In the past, the SPS has been among the most moderate of Kremlin opposition groups, preferring negotiation over confrontation.
But Belykh said Thursday his party would join the Other Russia opposition coalition, which has staged a series of anti-Kremlin demonstrations in the past year. Belykh has previously criticized Other Russia, and one of its co-leaders, former chess champion Garry Kasparov.
No comments:
Post a Comment