Russian Website Views Putin, Medvedev Post-Election Plans
Text of report by heavyweight centrist Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta on 4 March
[Report by Natalya Melikova: "The Winner's Day" - taken from html version of source provided by ISP]
Putin “built up” his government and shared powers with Medvedev.
On the first day after the elections, Vladimir Putin shared part of the powers with Dmitriy Medvedev and came forth as prime minister. Putin gave stern instructions to the government, which it is to fulfil in the course of the next two months. But the day before, late at night, Putin’s successor told us how he would build relations with the future prime minister, and also listened to congratulations from the closest members of the team which, it goes without saying, were not those customarily called the siloviki.
“One of the Most Difficult Days”
At the beginning of the first night, the head of the electoral staff, first vice-premier Sergey Sobyanin, accompanied by Boris Gryzlov, the leader of United Russia, came out to the journalists. The NG correspondent asked the head of the president’s staff whether the headquarters was counting on Medvedev’s getting about 70 per cent of the votes, or counting on more mass support. “We didn’t think that we would pick up more than 70. We talked about our needing a sure win in the first round, and were guided by the figures that United Russia had in the State Duma,” answered Sobyanin. According to him, this result was contributed to by the consolidation of the four parties which nominated Medvedev as a candidate for the presidential post. Let us note that the percentage obtained was still lower than the combined result of the four parties.
When Medvedev’s chief of staff was leaving the hall where the press-conference was to be held, I asked Sobyanin whether the policy of uniting the regions would continue after the elections. We know that the incumbent, and possibly future, head of the president’s staff is its main ideologist. Sobyanin did not want to talk about coming reforms. “It is a good policy” – the head of the president’s staff smiled slyly at me.
Vladimir Putin’s successor came out to the journalists only at about 1:00 in the morning. A couple of hours before this, the fan of the Deep Purple group appeared with the incumbent president at Vasilyevskiy Spusk [near Red Square], where a concert attended by thousands of people was taking place. The appearance of the two presidents was accompanied by the singing of Putin’s favourite group, Lyube. At the headquarters, Medvedev told a few dozen representatives of the mass information media that in the next two months, he and the incumbent president would be busy “forming the future contours of the executive authority.” He evaded answering the question on the personnel make-up of the administration, explaining that it would follow the course “that our country chose eight years ago,” and he termed 2 March as “one of the most difficult days of my life, on the emotional plane.” The relations between the incumbent president and himself would be those of friends and partners. “We trust each other,” emphasized Putin’s successor. As for the powers, they would “follow from the Constitution and the existing legislation.” In particular, foreign policy would be determined by the president. Let us note that the head of the successor’s preelection staff, in answering a similar question earlier on the division of powers between Putin and Medvedev, cited the Russian saying: “It isn’t just the job that makes the man, it’s the man that makes the job.”
After the press-conference, Medvedev set off for the headquarters facilities. I was standing in the big hall when people went past me, in an organized group, but casually dressed – people whom we usually call high-ranking officials.
It can be assumed that they were the representatives of Medvedev’s team who were closest to him. Going up to the second floor of the building on Staraya Square were Igor Shuvalov, assistant to the head of the state for the economy (one of the authors of the successor’s speech at Krasnoyarsk), Vladimir Kozhin, assistant to the president, Dmitriy Kozak, minister of Regional Development, and Boris Gryzlov, State Duma speaker. There was also first vice-premier Sergey Ivanov, who was quite recently named as one of the possible successors to Putin for the post of head of the state. One of the guests of Putin’s successor’s staff told NG that they all came of their own will – no special invitations were sent out.
Those of Medvedev’s staff whom they call the siloviki were not there on the night they summed up the results of the elections. On the other hand, this group of high-ranking officials who came to congratulate Medvedev on his victory at the elections included Aleksandr Voloshin, ex-head of the president’s staff. I will note that recently, in informal chats, Medvedev did not hide the fact that it was time for Voloshin to return. According to NG’s information, the ex-head of the staff will most likely not return to the civil service. On the night from Sunday to Monday, however, none of those persons who were officially present commented on coming personnel appointments.
Two Months To Prepare
On Monday morning the ministers assembled at the traditional conference in the Kremlin. The heads of the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Industry and Energy, Yuriy Trutnev and Viktor Khristenko, were specially invited to the conference. Deputy head of the president’s staff Igor Sechin, who usually makes the rounds of the entire long table, in order to shake hands with each of those present, this time unexpectedly changed his habit, limiting himself to a nod of the head.
Putin immediately gave a few strict orders that the government was to fulfil in the course of the next two months. First, however, he again congratulated Medvedev on his victory. “I am sure that Dmitriy Anatolyevich will justify the trust of the people and will do everything to have the course towards strengthening the country, its economy and its social sphere supported by serious new results,” said the incumbent head of state. Let us note that Medvedev himself was not there at this time. According to a source at the Kremlin, the elected president was at that moment accepting congratulations from foreign leaders. What is more, to receive TsU [important instructions] from Putin, who is now neither his chief nor the future subordinate of the elected president, would have been somehow “uncomfortable.”
The incumbent head of state meanwhile thanked Viktor Zubkov, the head of the cabinet, for the government’s efficient work in the preelection period. This did not, however, conclude the mission of the former director of Rosfinmonitoring. The incumbent president demanded that the concept of the country’s long-term development up to 2020 be prepared by May. “What I set forth at the State Council was set forth in an expanded form, but all the same, as an idea. Now we need a concept put down on paper, and on its basis should be worked out specific, step-by-step plans for each of the directions that I set forth,” said Putin. He also asked that the corresponding plans for lawmaking work be composed, and that this be coordinated with the lower house of parliament.
The president stated that he expected specific proposals on questions of the urban planning policy, regulation of the turnover of agricultural lands, and the creation of a competitive environment in the social sphere, as well as on other problems discussed at the Council on National Projects, held last week. As for measures to stimulate the thorough refining of natural resources, they were to be introduced in Russia beginning in 2009. Putin also asked the government to “be efficient in giving proposals” on strengthening the mortgage system and creating mechanisms to protect it from risks, pass a law on the co-financing of voluntary pension savings “as quickly as possible,” and prepare proposals on optimizing the administration of the country’s financial reserves – the Reserve Fund and the Fund for National Well-Being, and the gold reserves, and to create a set of instruments for long-term refinancing of the banking system.
It is doubtful that Medvedev, while still vice-premier, will be able to take part in achieving the tasks set by Putin. After the conference with the members of the government was over, the president met with his successor. He proposed that he and Medvedev together handle the preparation of the structures of executive authority. He also turned over to him, for the two months until inauguration, a small part of his powers. “I would ask you to take on, during this time, the work on preparing and holding the presidium of the State Council” – Putin proposed to Medvedev. I will note that, in accordance with the law, the president carries out the preparing and holding of the State Council presidiums.
Originally published by Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Moscow, in Russian 4 Mar 08.
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