Why did Putin win? First, he had many advantages over other candidates. Second, in his two previous presidential terms he scored impressive achievements. In particular, he curtailed separatist trends in the country, pushing back against the substantial gains made by separatists in Dagestan and Chechnya.
With all the ballots counted, Vladimir Putin received 63.6% of votes, winning the presidency in a landslide. The Russian people have made their choice in a genuinely transparent election. And with turnout exceeding 70%, clearly many people wanted to make their voices heard.
Why did Putin win? First, he had many advantages over other candidates. Second, in his two previous presidential terms he scored impressive achievements. In particular, he curtailed separatist trends in the country, pushing back against the substantial gains made by separatists in Dagestan and Chechnya. The economy was in decline. Now economic growth is very high, bringing tangible benefits to the Russian people. These economic and political achievements gave Putin a very high approval rating before the elections. Moreover, in his election platform, Putin raised all of the most urgent issues facing the country – modernization of society, ethnic questions, democratization and the political system, economic problems, national security, defense and foreign policy. His recent articles reflect the needs of a new society that has already taken shape. This is why Putin’s victory was natural and predictable.
Protest movements are emerging in Russia today, but they are playing a positive role in the country’s development. Putin is taking the right steps to assuage protest sentiments. He is ready to cooperate with opposition parties in the interests of prosperity and changing Russia for the better. He has no hidden agenda. There are quite a few people who do not share this view. Yet, they are not opponents of Putin personally, all the more so since Putin has already reviewed the demands of opposition members regarding democratization and reforms of the country’s political system. For example, the threshold for political parties to enter the State Duma and register has been lowered. Internet users have been allowed to openly express their views; the State Duma will review projects that receive at least 100,000 signatures on the web. All these measures are bound to have a positive impact.
These are very sensible measures for eliminating the social threat and curbing the further growth of protests. Opposition members have the opportunity to express their opinion but provocations are very unlikely. Putin has suggested that Russia should have a venue like Hyde Park in London. All these measures will promote stability in the country. Russia does need stability, but this does not mean that opposition parties must be barred from politics. Russia could learn from the example of China, where opposition parties have an opportunity to express their opinion on different political issues. Moreover, the Russian leaders should not forget the lessons of the Arab Spring in Northern Africa and the Middle East. Russia should launch social reforms and achieve stability through democratization.
Importantly, Putin is capable of thinking several moves ahead. He can gradually adjust his political and economic strategy to meet changing circumstances. The same is true of foreign policy.
The Chinese were pleased to note that in his recent article Putin wrote about Chinese-Russian cooperation. He emphasized that China wants to see a strong and successful Russia, just as Russia wants to see a mighty and prosperous China. Putin noted that some views on Chinese-Russian relations are erroneous. He thinks, for one, that China’s rapid development does not pose any threat to Russia but rather presents a challenge, opening many new opportunities. He also observed that China does not seek to rule the world.
Today, Chinese-Russian relations have tremendous potential. We know that they have been very positive recently. They have reached their historical peak and will grow further still.
This does not mean that Putin will not face any problems in this sphere. For example, both states have interests in third countries. Russia’s views on cooperation with Central Asia do not correspond to those of China. Moreover, the current structure of bilateral trade is not in Russia’s advantage. However, we hope that with the growth of the Russian economy we will be able to import more high-tech products from Russia and that no serious problems will arise in this field.
