Political debates for the presidential race have begun in Russia, but with a small catch: Vladimir Putin is sending his best and brightest to debate while he attends to his duties as prime minister. Several opponents seemed likely to refuse to participate in a debate against a Putin proxy, but so far only Just Russia leader Sergei Mironov has flatly refused to take part in any such debates. Recent surveys indicate that voters also are not impressed with Putin's decision but experts maintain it's likely to have little effect on a first-round Putin win. Oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov and Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov came out swinging on Monday with the kickoff of the first official debate between two presidential candidates. Prokhorov called Zyuganov out for spending more than 20 years in Parliament without any tangible result, while Zyuganov labeled Prokhorov as a playboy oligarch with little place in politics. While lively, the debate also descended into ad hominem attacks, with Prokhorov putting the full brunt of deaths during the communist period on Zyuganov, while Zyuganov told Prokhorov that Hitler "was also your age" when he came to power. "You want to drive in on your yo-mobile to the yo-presidency, the yo-Kremlin, so that the country yo-collapses," Zyuganov told Prokhorov, mocking his much-hyped design for an electric car.
Opposition candidates are essentially battling for second place. Putin, who holds a commanding lead in polls, would not take part in the debates, as they would "not allow him in full measure to fulfill his duties as the head of the government," his press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told journalists in mid-January. In the meantime, Putin has amassed a team of 499 trusted colleagues, who have been branded his "little brothers" in the local press, and announced that he would be sending them to debate in his place.
The move keeps Putin above the fray and away from some of his more eccentric opponents. One of those is Liberal Democratic Party Head Vladimir Zhirinovskiy, who took on political analyst and Putin-ally Natalya Narochnitska in the first test of one of Putin's "personal ambassadors" on national television this week. Narochnitska strongly condemned the recent political protests and went after Zhirinovskiy for a campaign ad in which he beats a donkey he says is symbolic of Russia. "These are not debates, but a comedy," Zhirinovskiy later told reporters. Zhirinovsky has subsequently told journalists they can come to his dacha and see how the donkey is doing, reported RIA Novosti.
Putin hasn't been able to sidestep the debates without criticism. Mironov has flatly refused to take part in debates against a Putin proxy, and in a poll published yesterday by the Levada Center, close to 60 percent of respondents said that they viewed Putin's decision negatively. The Russian daily newspaper Kommersant also raised the legal question of whether candidates could reasonably send deputies to represent themselves in debates.
Oleg Savelyev, a sociologist at the Levada Center, said that while those surveyed "clearly wanted Putin to take part in the debates... our most recent data shows that he'll easily win the elections in the first round. Likely voters support him at close to 64 percent, and that's all that matters to them." Putin's favorable ratings (among all Russians, not just likely voters) have dropped in recent months as low as 37 percent, prompting speculation that he may be forced into a runoff, likely with Zyuganov.
In debates with Zyuganov, Zhirinovskiy and others, Putin likely sees more to lose than gain, continued Savelyev. The debates would hold "a lot of very uncomfortable questions... it's one thing when he brings those questions up, talks about them and the country listens, but entirely different when there's a real, live opponent," he said.
Stanislav Belkovsky, a political analyst and director of the Moscow-based National Strategy Institute, argued that Putin was avoiding public appearances since he was catcalled and whistled at a mixed martial arts championship match in November. "Putin has never participated in open debates, nor in an unprepared political event," he said. "He is not psychologically prepared to deal with unexpected questions... since he went to the ultimate fighting match, he has avoided major events."
Putin's opponents are now facing a dilemma they can refuse to debate any of the Putin's "trusted" advisors and score political points by attacking Putin on his unwillingness to debate. Yet many can't pass up the opportunity for airtime on Russian national television. While Zyuganov and Zhirinovskiy agreed to debates, Prokhorov's press secretary said that he would likely refuse anyone other than the prime minister. That changed today, however, when he announced that he "was ready to debate one of Putin's representatives." "So long as it is an impressive person, I will happily use the opportunity to present my position to the voters again," said Prokhorov, reported RIA Novosti.
Keywords: Russia, Government, Politics - Russia News - Russia
Political debates for the presidential race have begun in Russia, but with a small catch: Vladimir Putin is sending his best and brightest to debate while he attends to his duties as prime minister. Several opponents seemed likely to refuse to participate in a debate against a Putin proxy, but so far only Just Russia leader Sergei Mironov has flatly refused to take part in any such debates. Recent surveys indicate that voters also are not impressed with Putin's decision but experts maintain it's likely to have little effect on a first-round Putin win.
Oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov and Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov came out swinging on Monday with the kickoff of the first official debate between two presidential candidates. Prokhorov called Zyuganov out for spending more than 20 years in Parliament without any tangible result, while Zyuganov labeled Prokhorov as a playboy oligarch with little place in politics. While lively, the debate also descended into ad hominem attacks, with Prokhorov putting the full brunt of deaths during the communist period on Zyuganov, while Zyuganov told Prokhorov that Hitler "was also your age" when he came to power. "You want to drive in on your yo-mobile to the yo-presidency, the yo-Kremlin, so that the country yo-collapses," Zyuganov told Prokhorov, mocking his much-hyped design for an electric car.
Opposition candidates are essentially battling for second place. Putin, who holds a commanding lead in polls, would not take part in the debates, as they would "not allow him in full measure to fulfill his duties as the head of the government," his press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told journalists in mid-January. In the meantime, Putin has amassed a team of 499 trusted colleagues, who have been branded his "little brothers" in the local press, and announced that he would be sending them to debate in his place.
The move keeps Putin above the fray and away from some of his more eccentric opponents. One of those is Liberal Democratic Party Head Vladimir Zhirinovskiy, who took on political analyst and Putin-ally Natalya Narochnitska in the first test of one of Putin's "personal ambassadors" on national television this week. Narochnitska strongly condemned the recent political protests and went after Zhirinovskiy for a campaign ad in which he beats a donkey he says is symbolic of Russia. "These are not debates, but a comedy," Zhirinovskiy later told reporters. Zhirinovsky has subsequently told journalists they can come to his dacha and see how the donkey is doing, reported RIA Novosti.
Putin hasn't been able to sidestep the debates without criticism. Mironov has flatly refused to take part in debates against a Putin proxy, and in a poll published yesterday by the Levada Center, close to 60 percent of respondents said that they viewed Putin's decision negatively. The Russian daily newspaper Kommersant also raised the legal question of whether candidates could reasonably send deputies to represent themselves in debates.
Oleg Savelyev, a sociologist at the Levada Center, said that while those surveyed "clearly wanted Putin to take part in the debates... our most recent data shows that he'll easily win the elections in the first round. Likely voters support him at close to 64 percent, and that's all that matters to them." Putin's favorable ratings (among all Russians, not just likely voters) have dropped in recent months as low as 37 percent, prompting speculation that he may be forced into a runoff, likely with Zyuganov.
In debates with Zyuganov, Zhirinovskiy and others, Putin likely sees more to lose than gain, continued Savelyev. The debates would hold "a lot of very uncomfortable questions... it's one thing when he brings those questions up, talks about them and the country listens, but entirely different when there's a real, live opponent," he said.
Stanislav Belkovsky, a political analyst and director of the Moscow-based National Strategy Institute, argued that Putin was avoiding public appearances since he was catcalled and whistled at a mixed martial arts championship match in November. "Putin has never participated in open debates, nor in an unprepared political event," he said. "He is not psychologically prepared to deal with unexpected questions... since he went to the ultimate fighting match, he has avoided major events."
Putin's opponents are now facing a dilemma they can refuse to debate any of the Putin's "trusted" advisors and score political points by attacking Putin on his unwillingness to debate. Yet many can't pass up the opportunity for airtime on Russian national television. While Zyuganov and Zhirinovskiy agreed to debates, Prokhorov's press secretary said that he would likely refuse anyone other than the prime minister. That changed today, however, when he announced that he "was ready to debate one of Putin's representatives." "So long as it is an impressive person, I will happily use the opportunity to present my position to the voters again," said Prokhorov, reported RIA Novosti.