In March next year we will witness an important political event, which should occur in the Russian Federation. It was agreed that at this time the Russian people will take part in the direct universal popular vote, the winner will be the next acting President and head of state.
Below we describe the main, formed at the moment in Russia’s political forces and the most likely participants in the upcoming presidential elections.
Party in Russia
In the early 90-ies of the last century to the political arena in Russia has published more than 100 political parties. In the main legislative body, the State Duma, could pass only a limited number of them. After 2000, the number of parties has decreased, and eventually, in the period from 2008 to 2012, the Duma was represented by only seven parties.
However, at the moment to parties, which are currently functioning in Russia officially are only United Russia, the party of Communists, party of liberal Democrats and social Democrats.
The Party “United Russia”
The party “United Russia” is the party that dominates the political life of the country and government. Chairman of the party is acting head of the government of the Russian Federation, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. The main ideological postulate of this party can be considered conservatism, or the preservation of the political system and economic structure of present-day Russia. This party holds the most seats in the State Duma. A significant percentage of Russia’s population belongs to its supporters.
The Communist party
The Communist party or the Communist party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) as its very name suggests, adheres to a Communist ideology and after United Russia also has the largest number of supporters among voters. Its popularity, as the popularity of its ideology, of course, not the one that was the Soviet Communist party. However, still a significant percentage of the Russian population and potential voters agree with and accept Communist ideas and values. The party leader is Gennady Zyuganov.
The social Democrat party and the liberal Democrats are the number of supporters.
We next turn to an analysis of the key figures who play a major role in the political life of the country, and perhaps the play itself and the upcoming election campaign.
Their willingness to participate in the upcoming presidential race have said a few persons. One of them is best known as the “critic of policies of the incumbent Vladimir Putin,” Alexei Navalny. Last year, he said that he wants to take part in elections in 2018 as a candidate for the highest office in the country. It has long been determined to participate in the elections, however, some time ago was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment on charges of financial mismanagement and embezzlement of public funds. The first court hearing in his case took place in 2013. The European Court of human rights declared then that the trial against him was “biased” in nature, and therefore the whole process should be done iteratively.
On repeated hearings, which were held recently, he was again sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and, thus, will not be able to run for President in the next election in Russia. But the Russian media is referred to as the leader “of the opposition to Putin”. He is also convinced that the current government, removing him from the policy, denounced at the same time and herself.
The other protagonist of the future presidential race, who announced his participation a few weeks ago, is Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the liberal Democrats of Russia. After the 30th party Congress of the party, he said at a press conference reporters that he was again nominated by his party to participate in the presidential election as a candidate for President and stressed that he, as such, is the presidential election in the 6 th time.
The current leader of the Russian liberal-Democrats Zhirinovsky has in the past also held the post of Deputy speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.
Zhirinovsky has repeatedly displayed violent behavior and rather strange actions, so it has always attracted special interest and attention from the public.
At the moment, he is already five times participated in the struggle for the presidency in the previous election campaigns in Russia, and in each case has consistently received less than 10% of the vote. This testifies to its rather low popularity among Russian voters as a candidate for President. Zhirinovsky also be considered a Pro-Communist beliefs. He, in particular, belongs to a rather scandalous statement published on his Twitter page, the meaning of which is as follows: the revival of the Soviet Union or Union of Soviet Socialist republics — a very real thing, which is needed only political will. He further urged to engage in a number of countries before it is not included, including Turkey and Iran!
Two years ago, the Russian Fund “Public opinion” conducted a sociological study in which participants were asked to choose the person of the year. Zhirinovsky became the second man of the year after current head of state, Vladimir Putin, of course, by a large margin from the last. According to the survey 68% of participants votes went to Putin, 4% Zhirinovsky 3% Lavrov, and 2% Medvedev, has 2% less and 17% of respondents with the choice difficult. And another 4 % of Russians answered that, in their opinion, none of the Russian politicians can not be called man of the year.
The following figure, which is also expected to take part in the fight for the presidency in the election campaign for the 2018, you can call Gennady Zyuganov, leader of Russian Communists. Already four times he took part in the fight for the presidency on the national presidential election and the results of all four elections received the second largest number of votes cast.
Gennady Zyuganov is a wise politician. Proof of this assertion can be considered that it in 1991 along with some others then known in the Soviet Union politicians made and signed a proclamation in which, in particular, warned the collapse of the Soviet Union and its possible consequences.
Zyuganov from the beginning of his political career, he worked in the organs and structures of the then state closely associated with the Communist party. The first step in his career was the work in the party cell during military service and active participation in the organization of the Komsomol movement. In 1995, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, he as the candidate from the Communist party of the Russian Federation, was elected Deputy of the State Duma.
As is confirmed by all the political past of Zyuganov, it can be considered a Communist by conviction, firmly believing in the necessity of the Communist system in Russia. And of course, if he wins the election, he likely, would have led the Russia in this direction. However, he has not yet commented on their possible participation in the next presidential election.
A political party with the greatest number of supporters and dominating in the political life of the country and the current authorities of Russia, is the party “United Russia”. It is managed by the Chairman of the government of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev. The party has a lot of supporters and it controls the majority of seats in the State Duma. The party “United Russia” I consider the main political support of the incumbent and the main supporter of its course. According to its ideological platform, the party is considered moderate centrist.
The most visible representative of the party is the current President of Russia Vladimir Putin. According to the latest data of the research conducted on the study of public opinion, the level of popularity of Putin among Russians is approximately 80%. In most cases, the cause of so great respect, which was felt to Putin, Russia’s population is the fact of his prior service in the KGB. After the events in Ukraine, the Crimean crisis and the Crimea referendum on the return of the Peninsula to Russia sympathy for Putin has only increased. In principle, this factor alone is enough to provide Putin an opportunity to be re-elected President.
Putin recently answering the questions of journalists regarding their participation in the upcoming presidential election, said that even before “not only to nominate his candidacy, but even to discuss this issue”. He also said that is still undecided about his participation in the presidential race. Nevertheless, we need to recognize that the current political situation in Russia is such that his participation in the forthcoming next year election can be considered predetermined. Because the presence of him instead of anyone else in this quality is beyond imagination.
