“Oh No, Another twelve years of Vladimir Putin”
Read the reactions in Western media after Vladimir Putin placed himself as presidential candidate in a well organized backroom deal this weekend.
“Oh No, Another Twelve Years of Vladimir Putin” is the headline Forbes published after Dmitri Medvedev officially suggested that Putin should be United Russia’s candidate to next year’s presidential election. Forbes continues:
“This decision does not bode well for Russia, the West, or for those who wish to do business in Russia. In fact, nothing much will change. Only the election of a new president could change the status quo, and this is not going to happen.”
—Forbes —
The Washington Post writes in an editorial that the announcement is bad news for the Obama administration that invested heavily in the relationship with Mr. Medvedev. But the paper does not only think Putin’s return is bad news for President Obama:
“It is bad news for Russia’s neighboring countries, such as Georgia and Ukraine, whose independence Mr. Putin views as a temporary and irritating historical aberration. Most of all, it’s bad news for the Russian people, who face corruption and stagnation persisting perhaps — if Mr. Putin now seeks, like Stalin, to rule for life — as long as their president.”
“The manner of Mr. Putin’s return both shows his political omnipotence and undermines the existence of political institutions in favour of a cult of personality set to flourish for 12 more years.”
“The dream of a post-Communist democracy in Russia faded years ago, but this weekend the Kremlin made it official.”
“There is no prospect now of any UK-Russian thaw, and Russia itself faces a long period of political and economic stagnation.”
— The Guardian—
“Saturday afternoon, at a political rally in Moscow’s Luzhniki Sports Palace, Russia’s two-decade experiment with democracy came to an end. A different, more authoritarian, system with only a mirage of choice, is now firmly in place.”
“Now that the central question of Russian leadership is answered, the political tension is gone. The legislative and presidential elections are already decided. Yet the answers to the important questions around Russia’s future are even less certain than before. “
— Deutsche Welle —
