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Tuesday, 10.05.2011
Putin wants to win elections with an "All-Russia People's front"
Volgograd. Vladimir Putin prescribed his home party "United Russia" a new election strategy: The official party will lead representatives of social organisations by the hand prior to the forthcoming Duma elections.
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On Friday, Putin announced the creation of an "All-Russia Popular Front" at a party congress in Volgograd. Unions and Youth organisations, women associations, World War II and Afghanistan war veterans, as well as independent representatives are given the opportunity to place their name on the United Russia candidate list.
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That's how, according to Putin's calculation, the Kremlin party can rely upon certain support by the masses in their election campaign. Lately, the party had become unpopular due to corruption, power hunger and shameless enrichment of Russian executives.
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All People's Front will be Putin's fan club
Pre-condition for participation is, so Vladimir Putin, that the organisation must act in "similar spirit" to the party. His press spokesman Dmitry Peskov later explained, the "All-Russia Popular Front" would be a "union of equals" who believe in the "gradual and ongoing development of Russia". The Front should not be based on the party but more so on Putin, as the author of this idea.
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At the same time, this would allow the "All-Russia Popular Front" to form an anti-Medvedev alliance, when the question of the election of a new president should come up. Dmitry Medvedev uses the slogan "rapid modernisation of Russia" which has raised concern in Putin's more conservative circles.
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Duma election only under United Russia flag
However, the new "All-Russia people's Front" will not be able to compete under its own flag at the Duma elections, according to electoral law, but only under the name of the registered party, "United Russia". Duma Chairman, Boris Gryzlov, who runs at the same time the day to day business of the Putin party, announced already, that United Russia will add up to 150 candidates from other "People'S Front" parties to its list for the Duma election in December.
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Their support for this plan was expressed at the Party congress by representatives of various civil society, from small gardeners to teachers and pensioners.
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Opposition: Officials pretend a common touch
Those in opposition are criticizing Putin as populist. The communists denounce United Russia as an elite party who will not be able to build real support by the people. The organisatons who are aligning with United Russia are anyway already loyal to the Kremlin.
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The small, Kremlin friendly left party "Just Russia", has also announced that they would accept representatives of people's organisations on their Duma election list.
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Zhirinovsky, the populist leader of the nationalist LDPR, described the "All-Russia People's Front" idea of his rivals as a public confession of the inability of United Russia to change the situation in the country. His party will not join the "Front" anyway.
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All-Russia people's Party equals Unity party?
Leonid Gozman, vice-chairman of the liberal party ""Right Cause" claimed that Putin is attempting to create a single party system. Putin's movement shows that the powerful Prime Minister no longer believes in Russia's democratic development.
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United Russia is weakening - but stays on high level The support for "United Russia" has fallen according to a survey by the polling institute VTsIOM, from a peak in 2008 with levels of 55 to 60 percent to around 45 percent in late April. Even when taking into account the non-voters, United Russia would still be sure of an absolute majority in the Duma and that without the "All-Russia People's Front".
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The three other parties represented in the Duma currently only achieve levels between 4 and 11 percent.
The German original text is here >>>
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