Monday, May 19, 2003
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By Vladimir Radyuhin
In his state of the nation address delivered on Friday, Mr. Putin said that following the parliamentary elections due in December, "a professional, efficient government may be formed based on a parliamentary majority." Thus, three years into his presidency, Mr. Putin finally feels strong enough to replace the Government he has received from the hands of his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, and thereby free himself from the bonds of the "Family", a powerful clan of business tycoons and politicians linked to the former President. Mr. Putin made it clear he was not happy with the present Government. He said the economic foundations were still shaky, the country was losing out to competition from its more advanced neighbours, a quarter of the population still lived below the poverty line, rampant bureaucracy and inefficient governance were stifling private initiative. Mr. Putin has now offered to delegate some of his powers and responsibilities to Parliament. The Cabinet of the Prime Minister, Mikhail Kasyanov, has openly favoured a handful of commodity-sector tycoons over the growth of manufacturing industries and small and medium business. Experts said this policy would not allow Russia to register more than 4 to 5 per cent growth in the years to come, a far cry from the goal of doubling the country's GDP in 10 years that Mr. Putin has set in his address. "By proposing a Government based on parliamentary majority, Mr. Putin has spoken to the people over the heads of the Russian elite, telling them: `take power in your own hands by electing a Parliament that will form a responsible Government,'" said Gleb Pavlovsky, a Kremlin-linked political consultant. If the next Cabinet is formed by Parliament, it may include Communists, who are likely to capture at least a third of seats in the new legislature. This may be part of Mr. Putin's plan, for he has called for "consolidation of all political forces in the country" to achieve the goal of much faster economic growth.
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