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On November 27, 2011, Vladimir Putin Was Officially Declared a Party Candidate for the 2012 Presidential Election |
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Wednesday, 30 November 2011All major British newspapers wrote about the United Russia party congress held on Sunday, where Vladimir Putin was officially nominated as a candidate for the Russian presidency for the 2012 elections. Moreover, virtually all drew attention to the rhetoric of the Russian prime minister, aged, according to Daily Telegraph, "in the spirit of the Cold War."
The focus of the British press was a small part of Putin's speech in which he accused unnamed "foreign states" of attempting to intervene in the Russian elections."We know that these days, in anticipation of elections to the Duma, the Russian presidential elections, representatives of some foreign states collect those to whom they paid money, the so-called ‘grantees,’ conduct briefings with them, put them to relevant work in quotes, in order to affect the very conclusion of the election campaign in our country. Boondoggle! Judas—not the most respected biblical character of our people," said Vladimir Putin.
Moreover, all British publications have written about the congress of United Russia, and commented on this statement in a negative tone.Thus, the Financial Times writes: "Casting the regime’s opponents as paid stooges of the west is a tried and tested Soviet-era propaganda ploy." FT adds that this method “worked predictably in the past by playing on the widespread fear that the west secretly seeks to control Russia.” Newspaper correspondent Charles Clover in Moscow believes that the return of Putin's Kremlin means "a shift back towards conservative autocratic policies at home and a confrontational foreign policy."
The Independent writes that Vladimir Putin's speech was riddled with "gross nationalism," which, according to a correspondent in Moscow, Sean Walker, prompted the audience to chant "Russia! Russia!" "Mr. Medvedev, still technically the President [of Russia], was clearly playing second fiddle, as his speech was interrupted with ‘Putin’ chants,” said the Independent.
The Guardian mainly pays attention to how organized the Congress of United Russia was. The paper describes how the delegates gathered at Luzhniki, chanting "Putin! Putin! Putin!" "The people! Medvedev, Putin!" and "Russia! Russia! Russia!" while party activists who were brought by buses from distant areas were waving flagsfor two hours.
“The highly orchestrated meeting – complete with United Russia members in the stands instructing people when to chant – brought back Soviet memories for many,” writes the Guardian. The publication draws attention to the fact that the Congress began with speeches of support for Putin made by people from various strata of Russian society: a filmmaker, a pensioner, a representative of the FSB and, finally, a young 19-year-old mother.
"Russia needs a brave, strong, smart and able leader, not just to protect citizens' rights and freedoms but to remind them of their responsibilities," said Stanislav Govorukhin, the director. "We have such a person – Vladimir Putin.”Look at what's happening,” - the edition quotes well-known economist Yevgeny Gontmakher,“ it already looks like one of the Soviet Union's last Communist party congresses.” Correspondent in Moscow for the Guardian Miriam Elder described the situation as a "a neo-Soviet cult of personality has transformed from publicity stunts showing off his physique and prowess to all-out adoration intent on proving that no other leader is fit to run Russia," Elder says.
British newspapers have noted that, according to most forecasts, the United Russia party and Vladimir Putin should win the elections.At the same time the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph pay attention to the decline in ratings of the ruling party and its leader, recalling how Mr. Putin was booed last week when he went to the scene of the sports complex "Olympic."
However, the Independent, which belongs to a Russian businessman Alexander Lebedev, notes that “with sliding but still high popularity ratings, and complete control of the airwaves, he is almost guaranteed to win.” The Daily Telegraph agrees with the Independent: "Although his party has seen its popularity slide in recent months its total control of state media and other levers of power means it is expected to comfortably win Sunday's parliamentary vote, albeit with a reduced majority." The publication suggests that Putin will easily win the presidential election and can potentially remain in the Kremlin until 2024. However, the Guardian refers to social scientists predicting that United Russia may even lose its majority in the Duma.
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Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Translated and revised by Viktoriia Demydova
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