Fri 30 Nov 2007 - Putin’s Plan? I

President Vladimir Putin decided to head the party list of government party Edinaya Rossiya (United Russia) for the parliamentary elections on 2 December 2007. With the result of the parliamentary elections as a foregone conclusion, Putin will most likely become Russia’s next prime-minister and lead a majority in the State Duma. His party does not need to be afraid of any resistance from other parties which lack funds. United Russia has vast financial resources for its campaign and an overwhelming support from the citizens of Russia supported by a newly established Za Putina (For Putin) movement. The movement argues for a third term for Putin as President. Even other parties are rallying people to vote for “Putin’s Party”, as it is called now. These parliamentary elections don’t seem to be about the struggles between political parties, but about one person and party only: Vladimir Putin and United Russia. United Russia doesn’t campaign with a program, but with a “man with a plan”: Putin’s Plan. But what will happen after Putin wins the parliamentary elections together with United Russia? And what does his plan envision, what do the slogans say?

The slogans say surprisingly little. As I walk through the streets I can see white banners flap in the wind above roads. They bear an overly optimistic text: “Putin’s Plan is the Victory of Russia” and “In Putin’s Plan is a Strong St. Petersburg”, but also simply “I, You, We”. This plan of Vladimir Putin is, however, left unexplained in the propaganda material. Edinaya Rossiya doesn’t campaign with ideas, but with simple slogans and a president who is still popular among most Russians. Putin ensured a stable economic growth for his country during his time as president, mainly due to export of raw materials and favorable oil prices. He was able to lift the international status of Russia. In his current campaign, he offers Russians a quite limited choice: it is either continued “stability” or “chaos” and a financial crisis as happened in the nineties.

It is evident that the party will win when you walk through the streets of St. Petersburg; there is no larger agitation campaign then United Russia’s. The campaign is so overwhelming that it leaves little place for common commercial posters. It makes me feel that I am walking in a “Soviet Union-look-alike” propaganda scenery where all people should gather around one leader and party. The atmosphere here is quite surreal. Putin is on TV for most of the time and information on other parties is limited to small television blocs between the programs and to late night programs.

This wave of propaganda has a well-know name in Russia: adminresurs, or administrative resource; the use of administrative and financial state resources during elections. Another form of administrative resource is the support Putin recently received from local government structures. The City Parliament of St. Petersburg formed a statement that asks citizens “to unite around Vladimir Putin”. The statement comes as a surprise as it is forbidden for city and federal government structures to participate in campaigning before elections. Other government officials seem to have followed the example of Putin. St. Petersburg governor Valentina Matvienko also campaigns for United Russia today. The campaign is fixed on a single idea: Putin achieved stability, so we should support him now.

Posted by Freek van der Vet, Intern Dutch Institute St. Petersburg on 30-11-2007 - 13:07:14