Visit Your Local PBS Station PBS Home PBS Home Programs A-Z TV Schedules Support PBS Shop PBS Search PBS
       
the Online NewsHour The Web site of the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
E-mail This Page   Print This Page  
the Online NewsHour EXTRANews for Students AND Teacher Resources MAIN: ONLINE NEWSHOUR
7 - 12 grade level
SEARCH
ALL OR STUDENT VOICES LESSON PLANS VIDEO GO
Main: NewsHour ExtraU.S.WorldScienceHealthArts/MediaStudent VoicesTeacher Center

Russian President Putin's Power Grab Questioned

Posted: December 5, 2007 PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION: PDF
Russian President Vladimir Putin's power solidified this week when his supporters won control of the parliament in elections marred by reports of intimidation, fraud and harassment.
Vladimir Putin
Putin has tried to silence his critics but remains a popular figure in Russia.

Election officials said on Dec. 3 that 393 seats in the 450-seat parliament went to parties that are supportive of Putin.

Putin's party, United Russia, won 315 seats. Despite criticism by opposition party leaders and foreign election observers that the election was not fair, Putin called it an "indication of trust" from the Russian people.

"The vote affirmed the main idea: that Vladimir Putin is a national leader, that the people support his course, and this course will continue," United Russia's leader, Boris Gryzlov, told reporters.

Questions about the result


Putin supporters
Putin Supporters
Putin supporters won the majority of seats in the controversial parliamentary election.
But European election watchers reported numerous cases of intimidation, fraud, multiple ballots and harassment.

In the southern region of Chechnya, where the United Party got 99.36 percent of the vote with turnout of 99.5 percent, witnesses reported seeing election authorities filling out ballots, reported the Associated Press.

Kimmo Kiljunen, vice president of the Office of Security and Cooperation in Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, told the AP the elections were problematic.

"There was the strange situation that the executive branch almost chose the legislative branch," Kiljunen said. "It is supposed to be the other way round."

Several European Union countries spoke out against the election and Germany called the election "neither free, fair nor democratic."
President Bush told reporters he expressed his concerns directly to Putin.

"I said we were sincere in our expressions of concern about the elections," Bush said.

Even before the election took place, White House national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe said he was concerned about the bias of state-owned media in favor of Putin's supporters, and a lack of opportunity for opposition parties.

Putin opponent and former chess grand champion, Garry Kasparov, who was recently jailed for five days after leading a protest, had the strongest words for Putin.

"The fact is that they are not just rigging the vote, they are raping the democratic system. The government is wanting to use this genetic fear that had been accumulated over decades in the Soviet Union, telling people you cannot hide from us and that's why they used every dirty trick in the book," he told reporters.

Putin's political power


Putin portrait on a banner
Putin portrait on a banner
Although Putin is leaving office soon, his political influence could continue.
Putin is set to leave office next year, the end of his two constitutionally-allowed terms. In November, Putin said a victory for his party in the election would mean he has a "moral" right to keep a political influence in the Kremlin after he leaves office.

The popularity of United Russia indicates that the next president will likely be from the party, but how large a role Putin will continue to play in Russian politics remains to be seen.

His supporters in the parliament could give him political sway, and he has a big enough majority that he could influence changes to the constitution and may use his new mandate to change the law and remain in office, reported the BBC.

Putin was also quoted by Voice of America in October saying that it was "realistic" that he might become Russia's prime minister.

Putin's role in Russia


Putin has been a popular leader in Russia and is credited with instituting economic reforms that have helped the country stabilize and take on a more prominent role in international politics.

At the same time, he has cracked down on his opponents and forced TV stations critical of his policies off the air.

And although President Bush once called Putin a personal friend "with a good heart," relations have since grown testy.

Just days before the election, Putin angered the U.S. by suspending Russia's participation in an arms treaty that restricted Russian military presence in Europe. The pact suspension came in response to U.S. plans to create a missile defense system in Eastern Europe as a safeguard against Iran.

"On the one hand you have retreat from democracy," Ariel Cohen, the senior Russia expert at the Heritage Foundation, told the Washington Post. "But you still have Russia as an indispensable partner of the U.S., no matter what."

--Compiled by Talea Miller for NewsHour Extra
Resources

Daily Video Clip

In the News
Democrats in Denver Strive for Unity; Student Reporters Get the Scoop
Democrats in Denver Strive for Unity; Student Reporters Get the Scoop


Cloned Meat: It's What's for Dinner?



Georgia Violence Highlights Tensions in Caucasus

Student Voice
Evan Wood
Preparing to Cover the Republicans
It's important to understand both sides in an election, and I think it will be interesting to hear the Republican opinion on big issues. As a writer, it will be my job to take that perspective and share it with the youth of the country, a crowd that mainly supports Obama.
Evan, Minneapolis
Send us your essay, personal story or poem
SUBMIT

Related Coverage

Extra: News for Students
Global Cafe: Life in Russia
A New Russia Emerges
New Year, New Russian President

The Online NewsHour
Russia-Britain Relations Sour After Expulsion of Diplomats
Presidents Bush, Putin Agree on Iran, Not on Missile Shield
A New Russia Emerges Under President Vladimir Putin

SUGGESTIONS / COMMENTS
Do you have an opinion about this article? Or do you have a personal experience related to this article that you'd like to share with our readers? Submit your comments!
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
THURSDAY'S PROGRAM
Convention Coverage
Watch special live NewsHour coverage of the Republican convention at 8 p.m. ET Thursday night.
News Summary
Palin's Speech
Making GOP History
McCain's Big Night
Shields and Brooks
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, an hour-long daily news broadcast
Check your Local Listings