A Strongman under fading Legitimacy?
Amidst this global pandemic, Russia is experiencing political turbulence. Some major steps that are drastically changing the whole mechanism of the current government.
MOSCOW
Since January 15, 2020, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is radically putting forward various amendments that astounded the experts as well as the civilians. The inception was that Putin is formulating these plans in an attempt to remain in power after his presidency ends in 2024. And after a lot of hustle in the system, Putin staged a clear-cut win, awarding him power till 2036. So is this win fair and legitimate? Were these amendments really important for Russian governance? Let’s take a closer look.
THE FIRST AMENDMENT
So, on January 15 the first of the alteration took place. A historic step was to replace his Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev by the head of the tax office, Mikhail Mishustin. Along with that, he proposed several amendments to the constitution.
On January 16, Medvedev announced that he & his government is standing down to assist Putin’s newfound grid to benefit the constitutional reforms.
“In this context, it’s obvious that we as the government of the Russian Federation must give the president of our country the opportunity to do everything necessary for this decision,” Medvedev said.
Alterations proposed by Putin
According to Putin, the constitution needs to be morphed majorly for a good flow of governance and some of the significant ones are-
· The prime transformation proposed was to transfer presidential powers and strengthening the Parliament(known as Duma). Along with the Federation Council, which is similar to the Supreme Court of Russia and Russia’s Senate.
· Also suggested removing the word ‘consecutive’ from the article regarding the term limit.
Two groups were formed to discuss what consequences these alterations carry? One criticized this ‘Legal coup’ and the other suggested a good outcome of a well-planned framework.
The Story of Victory
The crushing triumph made way for Putin to continue his presidency until 2036. Russian voters quite surprisingly favored the constitutional changes by an overwhelming referendum result. About 95% of voters participated out of which 78% approved the amendment and 21% were against it.
This welcomed Putin in the office which was throned to him for around two decades, since 1999. And now after 2024, he will run as a president for almost 12 more years.
Controversy Around the Vote
The times were crucial for him as the people were not quite fond of him. They lost the sense of trust for his system somehow. But the polling turned the tables. As the pandemic management by the government gained some support, the opposition Alexei Navalny stated that due to coronavirus, the polling was done lethargically, as civilians were allowed to vote from their homes and workplaces, leading to a corrupted procedure. Several public sector workers including doctors and teachers were reported for being pressurized to vote.
But Russia’s elections commission and the Interior Ministry said the number of violations was not enough to affect the outcome of the vote. However, the participants at polling stations mostly were in favor and stated that they do support the idea of constitutional changes.
India’s Best Wishes
As our country holds good relations with Russia and Putin as well, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi congratulated him on his big momentous win. On his part, he reiterated his bond to further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries in all spheres. Plus the positive relations with Russia can benefit our country in India-China conflict as the RIC(Russia-India-China Grouping) can provide a stage to organize meetings and conflict management.
The Dilemma of Good and Bad
His supporters gained trust because of the revolutionary Russia he made, one of the super-powers. During his first two terms as president (up to 2008), living standards for many Russians improved. Like all politicians, he went through a setback in 2011 and 2012 when the economy slowed down. But that wasn’t a setback of his power and sovereignty. He conquered Crimea and stunned the world. There were demerits too that’s for sure, of Western sanctions and economy fall. But he prioritized the sovereignty of the nation. All the facts collectively earn him fans who trust that he gained them a sense of national pride and it’s recognized as one of the most powerful countries in the world as he’s a leader that commands respect.
He gained some opponents as well who are very confidently against him. Because Putin has a great hold on the media, he in turn is taking away the freedom of speech from the people. His actions towards the LGBTQ+ community cannot be neglected. He passed a law in 2013 banning the promotion of homosexuality to people under the age of 18. This violates one’s sense of freedom. Bringing up people to realize that he is imposing power and somewhat regulating dictatorship.
What to expect?
The body of experts ‘for’ this change believes that this would ensure the safety of the state. The undeniable fact is Putin’s power, he still is an influential politician representing Russia all over the world. And now, during this pandemic, he assured promising management that uplifted the citizens while going through these gloomy times. So even though it seems that he guarded this position to gain the title of ‘President for life’, the changes brought up by him convinced many. Soon we’ll know the answer to ‘What Russia’s fate beholds?’.
Sources: The New Yorker, BBC, ABC News
All images belong to their respective owners
