(story to be published in tomorrow’s issue, March 28)
For the Russians, the passage to the summer hour was not an ordinary day. It was the day when they went to the polls to elect the successor of czar Boris. And this is sure to be Vladimir Putin, to whom Yeltsin passed the throne last December after he had previously forged his reputation by designating him Prime Minister. The predictable victory of Putin, until recently an average KGB spy, is the more difficult to account for as he did not unveil to the people, either during his time as acting president, or during the electoral campaign, any of his plans regarding the future of the country. The 108 million Russians entitled to vote could choose among candidates from the entire political spectrum, from the communist Gennadi Ziuganov to the nationalist Vladimir Jirinovski, a well-known name on the political scene for many years. All the same, all polls conducted ahead of the elections round pointed to Vladimir as a 100% sure winner, right from the first tour. What is it that makes the Russians rush so fast and in such a high number towards a man that, beside the campaign in Chechnya has done nothing much to come upfront? It is more than certain that the rough language and the determination he brandished during the actions he undertook in the separatist republic persuaded them that Putin is the leader Russia needs so as to go back to what it used to be on the world scene. Because, during the last ten years, Moscow has helplessly witnessed its international position being undermined. Excepting its statute as second largest nuclear power of the world, Kremlin has not managed to retain many of its force attributes it used to have during the communist period. On the economic plane, Russia is now weaker than countries such as Switzerland, Holland or even Belgium. After almost one decade of uninterrupted fall and following the dramatic devaluation of the ruble, the country’s Gross Domestic Product came last year to be lower than 200 billion dollars, only 50 percent above the GDP of Poland. In world economic trade exchanges, Moscow now counts less than Brazil or India. Even in armament exports, which used to be one of its strong points, Russia is now outdone by West-European countries. Maybe the most notable sign of decay is however the living standard of the population: the average salary is no higher than 120 dollars (comparable to the average salary of Romania), while the salary of a Spanish worker for example amounts to approximately 1,000 dollars. Even though not approving of all his actions, many Russians opt for Putin in the hope that he might be able to reinstate order and stability in the country. “We have voted for Putin. He is young, honest and educated. I do not think we need a dictatorship, but we have to tread a long way until order is instated in the government,” states Alexei Kiriliuk of Vladivostok. The lack of details referring to his plans for the future gave some electors something to ponder upon. “I do not know Putin and I am even afraid of him. I do not like the fact that war goes on in Russia and people are dying,” says Svetlana Fralova (aged 37) of Siberian town Novosibirsk, confessing that she had not opted for any of the candidates. However, even some of supporters of the former KGB colonel are sceptical about his capacity of reinstating order in a country contorted by corruption to the highest levels.