| Submit your comments on this article | ||
| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia | ||
| Putin concedes runoff possible, warns of instability | ||
| 2012-02-02 | ||
| MOSCOW: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin acknowledged on Wednesday he might not win in a March presidential election in the first round, and said Russia could face political instability as a result. Putin, who is facing the biggest opposition protests of his 12-year rule, remains the strongest candidate and looks set to win a six-year presidential term. But public opinion polls suggest he could fall short of 50 percent of the votes and face a runoff, which would be an embarrassing blow that could undermine his authority in a new stint in the Kremlin. "There is nothing terrible about it (second round), if needed, I am ready to campaign in the second round," Putin told a group of volunteer election monitors. "I also understand that a second round implies an extended period of certain infighting, meaning a certain destabilization of our political situation." Opinion survey results released on Jan. 25 by independent polling agency Levada showed 37 percent of respondents would vote for Putin, 17 percent were undecided and another 9 percent uncertain whether they would vote at all. A runoff, would likely pit Putin, 59, against veteran Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, who came second in the Levada poll with 8 percent.
"There is a danger that my supporters may not come (to the polls), thinking that I will win anyway, that they have nothing to do there, that we will do something to ensure my victory. We will do nothing like that," Putin said. After alleged fraud in a December parliamentary election triggered mass protests, Putin said he was keen to ensure that the presidential election is fair and ordered the installation of web cameras at polling stations across Russia. Another Putin rival, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, backed by 4 percent in the Levada poll, told a news conference that a runoff would be "a blessing for the country. It means that political competition and a democratic system would be born." After election authorities barred opposition politician Grigory Yavlinsky from standing, some analysts have speculated that Prokhorov played a part in a Kremlin plan to split the opposition and lend the vote an air of competitive legitimacy. | ||
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #2 This is the truth. The disconnect between the public and government is reality as much as it is here. Libya, Egypt, and perhaps Iraq are stumbling about now. Some want this instability. The Russian businessman Prokhorov wants economic growth. That means interaction not intervention. The world grows smaller. The energy needs of Europe connects Russia, Turkey, Isreal and many other countries. The USA and Russia working together could do allot of good in the world. China's only interest is controling the natural resources of a country. What governments do with their populations does not concern them. Yes, the Russians sell weapons but every country does that if they can. New technology goes odsolete in how long?, and upgrades. This is big money. Russia is a vast country and difficult to manage. Russia needs economic growth, prosperity, and national pride. We need these things also. Interaction not intervention. We have a backyard also. How would we manage things. We have occupy and they have their opposition. Their opposition is much bigger. They tried to play it down and attack it like the Tea party here. The roots run deep. |
| Posted by: Dale 2012-02-02 08:54 |
| #1 "Instability" is when Putin doesn't get what he wants. |
| Posted by: Spot 2012-02-02 07:44 |