Politics
“The results of presidential elections in Russia might be easily foreseen” and “the victory of Vladimir Putin in the first round was obvious for everyone, as it had been the previous time. The question was just about how many votes he would get”: 11% more with respect to 2012. Therefore, “Putin is even more strongly rooted as national leader for Russians”. This morning, Director of the Media and Communication Centre of the Russian Orthodox University Elena Zhosul made those comments for SIR, from Moscow. “In my opinion, the main reason for the growth of trust was the return of Crimea to Russia, ascribed to Putin”. And then: “the world geopolitical situation, confrontation with the West, and Russia’s actions against terrorism in Syria. The society perceives Putin as a reliable defender of the international interest of the country. At present, apart from him, no-one is able to play this role”, and thus, “Putin was chosen for stability and security reasons”. According to Elena Zhosul, “elections in Russia have been acquiring certain characteristics: for many years, they have not been real elections, but just confirmation of trust in a concrete person”, without “independent competition or opposition”. In fact, they are “referenda in support of Putin’s policies”. “Hinging on individual power is a characteristic of the Russian political conscience; the frequent replacement of the leader is not necessary”. “Of course, nobody is talking about monarchy in Russia today, one hundred years after its destruction. However, what we can see is a modern version of monarchy, hiding behind democratic institutions and procedures”.
