The “single window” — this phrase best conveys the principles that govern the management of Russian politics, vertical, Vladimir Putin. The scenery of the system could be arbitrarily complex, but they conceal an extremely simple structure: they turned to the single window in the Kremlin, want or failure. Look the other way was pointless: party, parliamentary, staffing issues were resolved in the President’s Administration.
Different vertical to work, could not the appearance of one window is making the system the sole control of the chaos and begins to destroy it. The Russian authorities consistently struggled with possible alternative centers of power in politics: the battle for the helm was always considered very dangerous, but she is now in full swing. The conflict of the speaker of the state Duma, the former curator of the political bloc in the presidential Administration Vyacheslav Volodin, and his successor on this post of Sergey Kiriyenko won’t hide.
The second Duma the window
Informal authority and influence of the first Deputy head of the presidential Administration, the curator of the political unit had little to do with the official job description. In the hierarchy of the Russian system of the power the man controlled the Parliament, party system, Pro-governmental public organizations, pools the Pro-Kremlin experts and sociologists. He invented the ideology, adjust it, determined by exemptions and liberties.
In a normal democratic system, such a function is nonsense, in a totalitarian unnecessary luxury, decorative Russian politics. The very nature of this post is controversial. On the one hand, should take the place of a man of exceptional and strong-willed, with another — such a powerful position would necessarily be interested in others, strong-willed and powerful, ready to fight for it. Was the third party in case of withdrawal of a curator without conflict was obliged to take his mate the keys to the store room with a remote control, otherwise it will begin to falter the whole chain. Despite all their ambitions, the main policy of Russia had to abandon them for the benefit of the government as a whole.
Former first Deputy head of the presidential Administration Vyacheslav Volodin, promoted to the post of speaker of the state Duma, all keys to his successor Sergei Kiriyenko to take did not become. In the orbit of its influence have remained the “United Russia” — people Volodin did not leave key posts: one third of the Presidium of the General Council of the ruling party are politicians close to the speaker, this structure is headed by Sergei Neverov, considered to be the person Volodina. The Executive Committee of “United Russia” presiding such as a protege of speaker Vladimir Burmatov.
The Chairman of the state Duma decided to keep the key from the Parliament he tried to limit the influence of the presidential Administration on decision making in the lower house. In addition, Volodin refocused party system in the Duma leadership — state the contents of the structures was increased, increased parliamentary salary, but has been strengthened discipline. In the decision-making system of the second window — the state Duma, and the party became the area of border effects.
Vyacheslav Volodin after leaving the Kremlin behaved active: deliberately aggravated the situation and showed their influence. Have appeared in the media notes that the officials of the presidential Administration has restricted access to the meetings of the Duma leadership. On a post of the representative of the presidential Administration in the lower house of the Parliament speaker tried to hold his man — the former head of the Public chamber Sergei Smirnov. Such actions by the previous speakers, it was impossible to imagine. Volodin aggravate the conflict, he thereby increased his political weight and the weight of the state Duma. He fought near the presidential Administration, its sphere of influence, which, as it seemed, belonged to her by default.
It is important that the speaker has maintained a pool of experts and political consultants have previously worked with him in the Kremlin. Institute of socio-economic and political studies (ISAPI) Dmitry Badovsky, who was a think-tank of the presidential administration, working with the Parliament. Duma orders of sociological research. And not so clear, the political center is now in Parliament — sends signals Volodin.
Recipients of these signals are several: Vladimir Putin, the key elite players and local influential groups. We can not say that this promise remained unanswered: vertical agrees to the new role of the Parliament and mediation Volodina in political issues. In the state Duma held hearings on the renovation, which comes mayor Sergei Sobyanin and Ministers. They are trying to talk to angry citizens, which (what a surprise) in the meeting room were invited. Sobyanin thanked the state Duma (and in fact Volodin) for relief around the bill. The speaker pleads for Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and does not turn the request of the Communists for the investigation of the Fund of struggle against corruption Alexey Navalny. All this in the same coordinate system had to deal with the political unit of the presidential Administration or, alternatively, do not touch these questions, as unimportant. However, other structures in parallel wouldn’t do anything.
Go to fight old men
Activity Volodin and expansion of the state Duma in the traditional region of control of the Administration of the President became possible due to the fact that Sergei Kiriyenko and his team chose a markedly contemplative style of work. Let us clarify that we’re talking about the consequences of the division of spheres of influence Volodin and Sergei Kiriyenko Putin’s vertical, not the perfect device policy. In the logic of the system, the new curator of the political unit were very quick to replace people former curator at the parties, the Parliament, loyal to the authorities of public organizations of his people. The way the hierarchy as a whole, changes had to occur even in the absence of the departed political ambitions of the curator, otherwise such ambitions might appear. If you have retained influence on key institutions thanks to its people, then why not strengthen it?
In the case of active Volodina problem multiplied by two. However, the reformatting of the state Duma in the President’s Administration long time did not seem to notice, reshuffling of the ruling party held not tried. Even your trusted think-tank — a mandatory attribute of any of the political block of the Kremlin — opened only a month ago (it’s called Experimental Institute for social research, AISI).
The regional elites, who do not receive from the presidential administration, the precise setting, complaining that working under such conditions they are weaned, and vertical device Carta is not intended. Officials and politicians in the field are gradually beginning to volodinskaya nostalgia for the days when everything was clear. State Duma deputies and experts loyal to the speaker, the nostalgia just warmed up (clumsy in the Kremlin can not cope, but, thank God, there are experienced comrades, ready to lend a shoulder), and players in the field are rather volodinskaya spirit.
For a long time the political unit of the presidential administration to this activity tried not to react. Now the control arms are trying to grab. In the “United Russia” began to separate the Supreme Council. Its head, former speaker of the state Duma Boris Gryzlov, who many have already forgotten, wrote an article “What unites us” and held a forum with the same name. “We should engrain in our consciousness a basic installation: civil society and the state as partners, not antagonists. Must be rejected as non-constructive, not relevant Russian political culture and contrary to the historical experience of a country circuit: civil society is the opponent and rival of the state,” — says the article Gryzlov, who is also the Supreme Council of “ER” heads and the Board of Trustees of the Kremlin’s think-tank AISI.
Wrote the former speaker and that is particularly important now the way of the future. Approximately the same was said on the forum loyal to the government of conservative activists, the same issues will be discussed at regional forums EISI “Strategy-2030”. In the ruling party, which remained under the control of the speaker, there is a new center of influence from the presidential Administration. Status members of United Russia (as we remember, the people Volodin) in the forum, Gryzlov did not participate — on the contrary, they actually announced his initiative. “Is a discussion platform and conclusions which the official position of the party are not”, — explained “Kommersant” Sergei Neverov. So “United Russia” is beginning to branch.
Another public testimony of opposition Volodin and Sergei Kiriyenko became the President of the organization of invalids of Afghanistan Andrei Chepurnov. He stated that veterans of the Afghan war in the regions receive letters signed by the Senator Franz Klintsevich, where the speaker is called the successor of the President. These words came at a meeting of the Victory organising Committee and was addressed to Vladimir Putin. The head of state excessive zeal in the race of successors is not permitted. Hard to imagine that Chepurnoy wormed his way into the ranks of the speakers randomly, and most importantly, has not agreed with the Kremlin organizers of the event, the theme of his speech.
In the future such cases, and hot spots of the confrontation will be more. The political unit has surrendered too many positions, and to win them from the speaker of the state Duma will be more difficult. Besides, time is running out — before the presidential campaign less than a year.
Front-line experience
The system has passed the test of this situation, and the test results was disappointing. In 2010, the machine of the Putin government is a cold technocrat Sergei Sobyanin headed the United Russia Vyacheslav Volodin — a bureaucrat with the school of public policy and big ambitions. To the Duma campaign of 2011, Volodin was able to find a way to the heart of Putin and asked him to create election project — Russian popular front. This movement was positioned as personally presidential towering over other political structures, including the “United Russia”, and did not obey the curator of internal policy of that time Vladislav Surkov. Front personally supervised Volodin.
Then the elite was confused in the heat of the election moment: although candidates are formally nominated the United Russia primaries organized front. Onf pinched the party in power, to do this, and local politicians who applied for early voting. In mass-media there were publications that the veterans will soon replace United Russia as a supporting power structure.
In the end, after the primaries, a new movement in the elections did not matter, but douglasie the campaign affected. United Russia received a record low score, including due to the fact that, initially, as a campaign project to promote the front. And this is done Volodin independently, without coordinating their actions with the presidential Administration. To blame for the failure “ER”, however, was recognized by Surkov and Volodin took his seat. Surkov save the effect is not tried and things in domestic policy passed — the architect of the vertical understood that such actions are disastrous.
The lesson of 2011 for the system were in vain. In a tense moment, the political vertical has again started to see double. Each of the centers of power advantageous to the enemy as much as possible was wrong — the competitor proves to be ineffective. In the end, the emergence of two centres of force acting on political players demotiviruet: they kept aloof from the conflict, because it is not very clear which side would prevail.
