Russian Presidential Election March 2008
The Russian Presidential Election held on March 2, 2008, resulted in the election of Dmitry Medvedev, who received over 70% of the vote. Medvedev, previously a first deputy prime minister and endorsed by then-incumbent President Vladimir Putin, was largely viewed as a continuation of Putin's policies rather than a distinct candidate. Critics pointed to the dominance of state-controlled media, which largely ignored opposition voices, suggesting an environment that undermined a fair electoral process. Medvedev's election raised questions about the balance of power, as Putin, barred from a third presidential term, planned to assume the role of prime minister, leading to speculation that he would continue to exert significant influence over Russian governance.
Key opposition candidates included Gennady Zyuganov from the Communist Party, who garnered 17.8% of the vote, and Vladimir Zhirinovsky from the Liberal Democratic Party, who received 9.4%. Notably, former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov was disqualified from the ballot, a move seen by some as an attempt to eliminate a challenging voice against Medvedev. The election drew attention due to allegations of irregularities, including pressure on voters and a lack of independent oversight. Medvedev's administration was expected to address issues such as corruption, which had been rampant during Putin's presidency, while the nature of Russia’s foreign policy direction remained a topic of discussion as Medvedev asserted that the president holds constitutional authority over it.
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Russian Presidential Election March 2008
Summary: Russians elected Dimitri Medvedev, a former first deputy prime minister, to succeed Vladimir Putin as president when Putin's second term ends on May 7, 2008. Medvedev won just over 70% of the vote after having been endorsed by Putin in December 2007. Medvedev's opponents accused state-controlled media of ignoring them. Medvedev emerged as a largely unknown figure who had long operated in Putin's shadow in a variety of roles over the past 17 years. Medvedev may have set the tone for his administration on the night of his election when he declared that the outcome cleared the way to continue Putin's policies.
Date: March 2, 2008.
Place: Russian Federation.
Event: Presidential election to choose successor to Vladimir Putin as president of the Russian Federation. The candidate endorsed by Putin, Deputy Prime Minister Dimitri Medvedev, won 70% of the vote. Medvedev will take office on May 7, 2008.
Context: Putin, widely regarded as an authoritarian leader, had endorsed Medvedev, a relatively obscure official who had never held elective office, giving rise to criticism that Putin would still run government affairs when he is appointed prime minister. Nevertheless, the office of president holds substantial power in post-Soviet Russia, giving rise to speculation that a power struggle could emerge between the two men.
Key players:
- Dimitri Medvedev, 42, first deputy prime minister and candidate of the United Russia party, was elected to become president of Russia from May 7, 2008. He won 70.2% of the popular vote. Medvedev had been endorsed by incumbent Vladimir Putin and was the overwhelming favorite to win. Medvedev has also been chairman of Gazprom, Russia's state-owned natural gas monopoly. Under Putin, exports of natural gas emerged as both a major source of income and as a diplomatic tool, such as when Putin ordered the flow of gas to be shut off during a dispute with Ukraine.
- Vladimir Putin, 55, president of Russia since 2000, who was barred from running for a third term by the constitution. Putin endorsed Medvedev and said he would serve as Medvedev's prime minister, suggesting to many Western observers that Putin intended to continue to wield power over Russia's even though his new post is subordinate to the president under the constitution.
- Gennady Zyuganov, 63, candidate of the Communist Party, won 17.8% of the vote.
- Vladimir Zhirinovsky, 61, candidate of the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic party, won 9.4%.
- Andrei Bogdanov, 37, candidate of Democratic Party, won 1.3% of the vote.
- Mikhail Kasyanov, 50, was not on the ballot. He is a former prime minister under Vladimir Putin, who became a sharp critic. Russia's election commission ruled in late January 2008 that his petitions to be put on the ballot contained too many invalid signatures. Critics of the Putin government alleged his disqualification amounted to meddling in the outcome by eliminating a possible challenger to Medvedev.
(Vote percentages rounded to nearest 0.1%, based on 98.8% of votes counted as of March 3, 2008.)
Issues
Constitutional powers: the president and the prime minister. As the candidate endorsed by incumbent Vladimir Putin, Medvedev said he would appoint Putin to be prime minister; Putin said he would accept the appointment. Given Putin's reputation as an authoritarian leader, this arrangement seemed to imply that Putin would continue to control the levers of power despite the subordinate role of prime minister under the post-Soviet constitution. At a post-election rally in Moscow, Medvedev declared the election result "means we will be able to maintain the course suggested by President Putin." Appearing with Medvedev, Putin said. "This victory will serve as a guarantee that the course we have chosen, the successful course we have been following over the past eight years, will be continued."
Foreign affairs. President Putin pursued an assertive foreign policy as Russia emerged from a period of turmoil after the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991. Medvedev has adopted a softer tone. After the polling president-elect Medvedev was asked whether he or Putin would be in charge of foreign policy. Her replied: "That is perhaps the simplest question. Foreign policy, according to the constitution of the Russian Federation, is determined by the president."
Corruption. During the Putin administration there were widespread allegations of corruption. Putin himself was reputed to have collected a fortune measured in hundreds of millions of dollars while in office. Medvedev promised to crack down on corruption. In a campaign speech in January 2008 he said: "…(T)oday, this 'spirit' of disregard for the law is present everywhere. Let us reflect. It is happening at the level of consumer awareness---we do not even wince when buying pirated CDs and DVDs--- and at the level of business when the agreement that defines the multimillion obligations of the parties is simply written on a piece of paper, with three points, and the payment is simply in bags of cash. And finally, it is manifest in more serious offences in crimes that are being committed, unfortunately, in large numbers, including corruption in government, corruption, which today occurs at an enormous scale, and fighting which must become a national program."
Polling irregularities. About 109 million people were eligible to vote in 96,000 polling places that were open for about 24 hours (Russia covers 11 time zones). Turnout was estimated at about 65%. After the election, some observers reported that voters were under pressure to vote for Medvedev. Some foreign observers were denied visas and therefore did not observe voting procedures. In late January 2008 Russia's election commission barred a prominent critic of Putin, former prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov, from the ballot on grounds there were too many invalid signatures on his petition (13.4% of the total signatures) for him to be listed. Critics of Putin alleged this disqualification was tantamount to meddling with the outcome by barring a well-known critic. Kasyanov declared that "There is no doubt that the decision not to register my candidacy was taken personally by Vladimir Putin." Kasyanov had registered support by about one percent of voters in public opinion polls. Another prospective candidate, chess champion-turned-opposition leader Garry Kasparov, leader of a coalition called The Other Russia, dropped his attempt to campaign in December 2007. Kasparov entered politics primarily as an opponent of Vladimir Putin. He was favored by a mixed coalition of left-wing and liberal groups.
Bibliography
Clements, Matthew. "Putin Anoints his Successor." Jane's Intelligence Review. 20:1 (January 2008) 1/3p. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tsh&AN=28381254&site=isc-live
Harding, Luke. "Russia election not free or fair, say observers." Guardian (London) March 3, 2008. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/03/russia.eu
Isachenkov. Vladimir "Putin, Medvedev pledge unified path " Boston Globe (Associated Press). Mar 2, 2008 http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2008/03/02/russia%5Fvotes%5Ffor%5Fputins%5Fsuccessor/
Matthews, Owen and Anna Nemtsova. "Russia's Mighty Mouse." Newsweek 151:8 (February 25, 2008) 2p, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tsh&AN=29998566&site=isc-live
Rose, Richard, William Mishler, and Neil Munro. "Time Matters: Adapting to Transformation." Journal of Communist Studies & Transition Politics 24:1 (March 2008) 25p. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tsh&AN=29411170&site=isc-live
Wegren, Stephen K. and Andrew Konitzer. "Prospects for Managed Democracy in Russia." Europe-Asia Studies 59:6 (September 2007) 23p.