MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky regards Grigory Yavlinsky as the most deserving candidate for Russian presidency. "The presidential election in March is a struggle of symbols, not the actual election of the guarantor of the constitution by the people. For me, Yavlinsky would have been a good symbol. The other candidates in the remaining time should demonstrate which roads they symbolize. That applies to Prokhorov, and to Mironov, and to Zyuganov," Khodorkovsky, serving a prison term in Karelina, noted in his correspondence with Novaya Gazeta newspaper.
The Central Elections Commission (CEC) refused to register Yavlinsky as a presidential candidate due to a great number of unacceptable petitions of his supporters. Earlier this week the Supreme Court upheld the CEC resolution.
"It is important to insist on fair elections, important to insist on the runoff, important to show where we want to go because the most important things will happen after the election," Khodorkovsky wrote.
After analyzing the political situation in Russia he summed up: "Apparently Putin has arrived at the conclusion that law enforcers and military and also some internal republics may become his main bulwarks."
This explains "the radical hikes in salaries in the police and comparable services, and the deliberately poorly controllable federal subsidies," Khodorkovsky writes.
"This policy will continue even though it does not guarantee the readiness of even these people to rise up in defense of the regime with which the public is dissatisfied," he predicted. "In addition, the growing gap in the salaries of public workers (including law enforcers) and others receiving money from public coffers (including employees of non-fuel state-owned enterprises, teachers, workers in the utility sector, etc.) will provoke serious dissatisfaction in these sections of society expecting the steady growth of their wellbeing," Khodorkovsky believes.
"However, our future president doesn't want to offend his law enforcement entourage - or using his own terminology "he doesn't give up his own" - no matter how ineffective they may be. What is more important, he is afraid of actual political competition. As a result, his steps will be only an attempt to mislead the public," his article says.
"The professionalism of these people underestimated by the power will make this scenario, customary for Putin, ineffective. And he will start wondering why angered city people don't understand him and don't accept him," Khodorkovsky noted.
Keywords: Russia, Government, Politics - Russia News - Russia
MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky regards Grigory Yavlinsky as the most deserving candidate for Russian presidency.
"The presidential election in March is a struggle of symbols, not the actual election of the guarantor of the constitution by the people. For me, Yavlinsky would have been a good symbol. The other candidates in the remaining time should demonstrate which roads they symbolize. That applies to Prokhorov, and to Mironov, and to Zyuganov," Khodorkovsky, serving a prison term in Karelina, noted in his correspondence with Novaya Gazeta newspaper.
The Central Elections Commission (CEC) refused to register Yavlinsky as a presidential candidate due to a great number of unacceptable petitions of his supporters. Earlier this week the Supreme Court upheld the CEC resolution.
"It is important to insist on fair elections, important to insist on the runoff, important to show where we want to go because the most important things will happen after the election," Khodorkovsky wrote.
After analyzing the political situation in Russia he summed up: "Apparently Putin has arrived at the conclusion that law enforcers and military and also some internal republics may become his main bulwarks."
This explains "the radical hikes in salaries in the police and comparable services, and the deliberately poorly controllable federal subsidies," Khodorkovsky writes.
"This policy will continue even though it does not guarantee the readiness of even these people to rise up in defense of the regime with which the public is dissatisfied," he predicted. "In addition, the growing gap in the salaries of public workers (including law enforcers) and others receiving money from public coffers (including employees of non-fuel state-owned enterprises, teachers, workers in the utility sector, etc.) will provoke serious dissatisfaction in these sections of society expecting the steady growth of their wellbeing," Khodorkovsky believes.
"However, our future president doesn't want to offend his law enforcement entourage - or using his own terminology "he doesn't give up his own" - no matter how ineffective they may be. What is more important, he is afraid of actual political competition. As a result, his steps will be only an attempt to mislead the public," his article says.
"The professionalism of these people underestimated by the power will make this scenario, customary for Putin, ineffective. And he will start wondering why angered city people don't understand him and don't accept him," Khodorkovsky noted.