Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Friday, August 31, 2012

It's good to be the king

The perks of high office are meant to reflect the glory of the state. This report on benefits of the Russian president offers one glimpse. How do Putin's perks compare with those of other heads of state?

For Putin, Report Says, State Perks Pile High

President Vladimir V. Putin is rumored to be among the world’s wealthiest men, with an oil-fed fortune worth tens of billions of dollars. He denies that, vehemently, but a report to be published Tuesday suggests that the dispute may be beside the point.

In the report, sarcastically titled “The Life of a Galley Slave,” after the president’s own description of his tenure in office, Russian opposition leaders describe what they call an extraordinary expansion of presidential perks during the 12 years since the start of Mr. Putin’s first term as president — palaces, a fleet of jets and droves of luxury cars.

Constatine Palace

Among the 20 residences available to the Russian president are Constantine Palace… a ski lodge in the Caucasus Mountains and a Gothic revival palace in the Moscow region. The president also has at his disposal 15 helicopters, 4 spacious yachts and 43 aircraft, including the main presidential jet… an Airbus and a Dassault Falcon. The 43 aircraft alone are worth an estimated $1 billion, the report says.

In response to a written query, the Kremlin’s press office said Mr. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, was on vacation and unable to respond to the substance of the report. In a response reported by Kommersant, however, Mr. Peskov said the residences, aircraft and cars were government property used lawfully by the president…