Russian political-economic protest
Did this protest take the government by surprise? Did the government decide to allow it for some reason? Or does this help provide an explanation for coming policy changes?Thousands protest in Russian east
"Several thousand people have held a rally in Russia's Far East, demanding the government resign over the country's growing economic problems."The protesters in Vladivostok blamed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's cabinet for mismanaging the economy and suppressing political dissent.
"The rally - which passed off peacefully - was the first in a series of protests expected in Russia on Saturday...
"Such protests were unthinkable just a few months ago as the economy boomed with record high oil prices and as the Kremlin tightened its grip over almost all aspects of society, the BBC's Richard Galpin in Moscow says...
"The anti-government demonstration in Vladivostok was called by the Communist Party...
"In a separate demonstration in Vladivostock, thousands of supporters of the ruling United Russia held a rally in support of the government."Russian stability threatened by anger over economy
"The financial crisis is threatening to destabilise Russia amid unprecedented calls for the resignation of Vladimir Putin and his government...
"According to opinion polls, Mr Putin remains popular, enjoying an approval rating of 83 per cent. Even now, with the economy under strain, there is no sign of a challenger, who could usurp his place in the heart of most Russians...
"Seeking to show his affection among the people remained undimmed, Mr Putin's ruling party is forcing factory workers in to holding public rallies of loyalty this week that will proclaim the prime minister's wisdom and munificence..."
Economic woes fuel Russian protests
"Thousands of protesters have rallied across Russia to criticise the government's economic policies and its response to the global financial crisis.
"Russian police forcefully broke up many of the anti-government protests on Saturday, arresting dozens of demonstrators.
"Police said 41 people had been arrested during a series of protests in Moscow, where demonstrators called for Vladimir Putin, Russia's prime minister, to step down...
"But despite the protests, support for Putin is not substantially waning in Russia.
"A poll conducted last week by the Levada Institute of Moscow showed that 83 per cent of the public approve of Putin's work as prime minister.
"Saturday also saw pro-government demonstrations with organisers saying that at least 5,000 people had gathered outside the Kremlin, shouting slogans in favour of Putin and Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president...
"Opposition groups, which lack parliamentary representation, hope to benefit from the increasing severity of the economic crisis in Russia, which has so far cost thousands of jobs and seen delays in wage payments..."
Labels: economics, participation, politics, Russia
posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:39 AM
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Russia: Poll Finds Worry on Economy
"Russians’ complaints about their government increasingly focus on economic problems rather than crime or foreign affairs, according to a poll of 1,600 citizens released Monday by the Moscow-based Levada Center. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said their biggest grievance was that leaders 'can’t deal with the economic problems in the country,' and 17 percent faulted the Kremlin for not having a 'well-considered plan of action.' Only 4 percent blamed leaders for 'not being able to solve problems in the Caucasus,' compared with 18 percent in 2003."
Tariff Protests in Eastern Port Rattle Kremlin
"Vladimir Kirillov and Vitaly Sukhinin and their co-conspirators once had little interest in politics. They were rat-a-tat-tat salesmen here in Russia’s Far East who did a thriving trade in secondhand vehicles imported from Japan. But then the government reacted to the financial crisis by imposing steep tariffs on their industry.
"And so was born a growing protest movement that might easily be dismissed as the Revolt of the Used Car Dealers, except for the fact that it seems to have unnerved the Kremlin like few other outbursts of public discontent in recent years...
"Senior officials have portrayed the organizers as nefarious profiteers controlled by foreign agents who want this region to secede from Russia. Behind the scenes, though, it appears that the Kremlin is concerned that resentment over the tariffs will continue to spread from the car dealers to the general population — and turn into a bigger backlash over the government’s handling of the financial crisis...
"When the economy was surging, Mr. Putin’s government had widespread support, and the opposition was marginalized. Now that times are tough, events in the Far East suggest broader rumblings...
"It is perhaps fitting that the widening rift centers on cars, which in post-Soviet Russia have become a prominent symbol of the kind of personal freedoms that were unattainable under Communism. Car ownership has surged, and both domestic production and imports have grown..."
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