The Russian presidential election will take place only after a year and a half, but the country is already discussing the possibility that after 2018 Vladimir Putin will govern. On Monday, the exiled oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky put forward a new initiative to find an alternative to Putin, which could support the Russian people.
The new website “Instead of Putin” citizens of Russia can choose one of 12 well-known Russian political figures. Candidates selected analysts and experts on Russian politics, but Internet users can nominate other candidates. Khodorkovsky promised to support the election campaign of the winning candidate.
Published on the video said that the goal is to challenge shared by the majority of Russians are of the opinion that in Russia there is nobody who could replace Putin. At the moment on the website leader Alexei Navalny, a charismatic lawyer and a fighter against corruption, who is considered the leader of the opposition. In 2013, after he led anti-Putin demonstrations, Navalny was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to five years probation. Outside of Russia this trial was named political.
Since then, Navalny continues to publish the results of anti-corruption investigations affecting millions of Russian citizens, including last year’s investigation into the family of the Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika. While Navalny is not able to compete with Putin in the elections, because, among other things, the court forbade him to run for President until 2033. Last month Navalny appealed to the Supreme court to review his case, saying that otherwise he will not be able to participate in elections.
The Bulk should be Alexei Kudrin, who served as Minister of Finance in the period 2000-2011. Russian commentators believe Kudrin is more reasonable alternative to Putin, as a former high-ranking official who can make Putin’s entourage fearful of prosecution or investigation in the event of a change of government. Economic experience Kudrin is seen as an advantage in terms of the plight of the Russian economy.
Kudrin never joined the ruling Russian party “United Russia” and criticized political persecution, including the case of Bulk. On the other hand, he is also familiar with Putin from his days in the St. Petersburg mayor’s office, when Kudrin was Deputy mayor Anatoly Sobchak. In April, Putin said that Kudrin is still his Advisor: “He is very good specialist, a brilliant expert… And if he wants to contribute to the solution of problems facing the country, why not?”
In the top of the list are also present the mayor of Yekaterinburg Yevgeny Roizman, known for his initiatives to combat drugs, and a member of the liberal party “Yabloko” Lev Shlosberg. In 2014, when Schlossberg was investigating the participation of Russian troops from his native city of Pskov in the Ukrainian conflict, he was attacked by three unknown. He received a severe head injury and was hospitalized, but was able to recover and return to political activity. Although Schlossberg is among the leaders of the vote, in his address on the website to write a negative anti-Semitic comments, claiming that a Jew can not lead Russia. Among other candidates is Tatyana Yumasheva, daughter of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin.
Press Secretary of Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that Khodorkovsky thrown challenge does not interest the Kremlin. “The projects are designed, apparently, to be in the pipeline with people who are already irretrievably cut off from Russia, what’s going on here, from the Russian agenda,” he said, adding that the Russian leadership saw in this project, nothing interesting. It seems that a number of candidates mentioned on the website as an alternative to Putin, was not excited because, on the one hand, did not want to be seen as opponents of Putin, and on the other hand, did not want to be associated with Mikhail Khodorkovsky. For example, Navalny refused to comment on the draft, and one of the politicians in response to a request to RBC on comments asked not to mention his name. One candidate said that he has a lot of problems, and asked journalists to pretend that they are unable to reach him.
On the other hand, the Russian media last week discussing the likelihood that Vladimir Putin will give up power and will not participate in the elections in 2018. In an interview with Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait on the question of participation in presidential election in 2018, Putin said that nothing is decided yet. On the question of whether to change a young politician, Putin said: “Yes, of course. Assume that the future leader should be a young man, but Mature”. He added: “But I want to draw attention: in any case, we now have to think about how we see (when I say “we” I mean myself and members of my team: the Government, the presidential Administration) the future development of the country.”
The interview was shown on Russian television on 6 September, although excerpts had been published previously, and the full text appeared on the website of the Kremlin. It generated a lot of rumors that Putin and his entourage are preparing a successor, whose identity is still unknown.
