Study Guide week 4
VLADIMIR PUTIN
1999-PRESENT
What I want you to know: Putin is a law and order man who rose to the top politically precisely for that reason. The question is whether or not his interpretation of his policy of “Dictatorship of Laws” will turn Russia back to totalitarian control or move Russia closer to a “ normal, democratic, and prosperous state”.
I. Background
A. Putin describes his life in 1999 in his memoirs “First Person” as:
“In fact, I have had a very simple life. Everything is an open book.
I finished school and went to university.
I graduated from university and went to the KGB.
I finished the KGB and went back to university.
After university, I went to work for Sobchak.
From Sobchak, to Moscow and to the General Department.
Then to the Presidential Administration.
From there, to the FSB.
Then I was appointed Prime Minister.
Now I’m Acting President. That’s it!”
B. Strobe Talbot, former Deputy Secretary of State during the Clinton adminstration and a well-known specialist on Russia, said this about Putin at a Testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Foreign Operation in April 2000:
“Mr. Putin has affirmed his support for Russia’s constitution and its guarantee of democratic government and basic freedoms for Russia’s people; he declared himself a proponent of a competitive market economy; he’s promised quick action on tax reform and investment legislation; he see Russia as part of Europe and the West, that he favors Russia’s integration with the global economy, that he wants to continue the process of arms control and U.S.-Russia cooperation on non-proliferation”.
II. President Who?
A. Rise to Presidency
At the time of the coup in 1991, Putin was a KGB agent working as a close assistant to St. Peterburg’s Mayor Anatoli Sobchak. Putin resigned from the KGB on August 20th, 1991 (for the second time).
By 1996, Putin is out of work and wondering what to do. Sobchak lost his bid for reelection. After a couple false starts, Putin landed in Moscow working in Yeltsin’s Administration as a Deputy for Chief of Staff Pavel Borodin
Then he had a quick succession of promotions:
1997: Head of Main Control Directorate
1998: First Deputy head of the Presidential administration responsible for the regions.
1998: Director of FSB (former KGB) as a Civilian also he was Secretary of the Security Council
1999: (August) Prime Minister
December 31st, 1999: Acting President
March 2000: President
B. Why Picked?
1. Huh?
Putin did not know he was being groomed as President Yeltsin’s candidate for President.
2. Shock!
It came as a shock to him that he was being considered for the post of President. He found out only when Yeltsin announced it on TV.
3. Yeltsin Resigns
As a way of catching the opposition by surprise, Yeltsin announced that he would resign on December 31st, 1999. Putin became acting President and forced the election date up to March. This virtually insured that Putin would be elected as the next President. He won the election with 53% of the vote with a 75% voter turnout. He was 47.
4. Why was he picked by the people?
The people had tired of reform and the disastrous economy. They yearned for someone who would take a tough stance on the economic crime and political corruption that was running rampant in Russia. The wanted a strong state and law and order. Putin was their man.
5. Lowest Common Demoninator
He was the choice of parts of the political and business elite, the oligarch, the Kremlin’s inner circle otherwise known as the “family” . It was assumed that Putin would protect the powerful people who got him elected.
Also, Putin met Yeltsin’s desire to put “Siloviki” (officials with experience in the Army, Police, Security Services) in key positions to give law-and-order types input in the Government.
6. Chechnya
Though Putin was Prime Minster, he assumed the daily command of the war in Chechnya.
Russia got involved in more hostilities in Chechnya in August 1999, just when the Russian Government had given independence to the Chechens. War began again when Chechen rebels attacked their neighbor Dagestan. Russians kicked them out of Dagestan 4 times before the Russians decided to “ liquidate” the Chechen rebels for once and for all.
Putin was so committed to resolving this nationality and terrorist problem that he said: “ I had already decided that my mission…c onsisted of resolving the situation in the Northern Caucasus.”< span> He also said in his memoirs: “This is what I though of the situation in August, when the bandits attacked Dagestan: If we don’t put an immediate end to this, Russia will cease to exist.”
*The second reason that Yeltsin resigned early and let Putin take over was the fear that another war in Chechnya would “taint” his candidates chance at the Presidency of Russia.
III. REFORMS: WHAT WE KNOW FOR SURE
A. Strong Presidency and Strong State
Putin immediately sought to reverse the chaotic adminstration of the Yeltsin era and put the power back in the President’s hands.
1. Vertikal Direct Control of the Provinces
As discussed before, to get the provinces to heed Moscow’s rule and control the local Governors/Presidents, Putin recreated the Institution of Presidential Representative that were loyal only to him and his eyes and ears in each of the 7 Capitals.
2. Reform of Parliament
The Federation council no longer was composed of the 89 Governors/Presidents and the speakers of the Parliament in each of the 89 regions. In the past, being a federal Deputy gave them too much power at the national level. Putin said they needed to stay home and take care of business there. The President let the Governors/Presidents choose their two representatives from their regions.
3. Attack on the Oligarchy
Oligarchs are the winners of the partition of the wealth of Russia in the early 1990’s. They are the people who formed the circle of confidants called the “family” in Yeltsin’s administration and were the financial contributors of Putin’s election campaign in 2000. They were also the reason why the state was weakened and there was an absence of rule of law when Putin took over.
Putin set out to:
A. Loosen their control on the media. Putin systematically closed down independent TV, radio, and newspapers owned by the handful of oligarchs. Some the state took back.
B. Reduce the ability of the oligarchs and other wealthy to evade taxes. Putin created a stronger tax police (like our IRS) and put agents in each province.
Jan 2001: 13% income tax, 35.6% Social Tax
2002: Profit tax dropped to 24%
4. Judicial Reform
Putin began legal reform in 2002. He added a number of amendments and new laws on the courts and judges that changed their role and status.
5. Election Laws
To improve formations of coalitions or “bloc” parties and to refine election methods, several laws have been passed. Notably, a June 2001 Law on Political Parties that reduces the number of parties that appear on the Duma ballot by limiting local only parties. Now each party must have 100 members in at least 35 of the nation’s 89 regions. Another law limits Duma candidate campaign spending to 250 million rubles ($820,000 approximately). Also, the latest Parliamentary election included candidates not only parties but also socio-economic groups.
Vladimir Putin was recently elected to his third term (due to changes in the Constitution) in March of 2012.
Update January 2013: "At Mr. Putin’s direction, half of the 450 seats in the State Duma, the lower house of Parliament, would be filled using a proportional system based on votes for parties, with each party then filling its allotted seats. The other half would be filled by direct election of individual candidates, creating a potential opening for independent campaigns." http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/03/world/europe/putin-orders-new-system-for-russian-parliamentary-elections.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print
