Russia Rushes to Elect Vladimir Putin
On March 18, Russians went to the polls in an election that will critically influence the future of their country. Three men and one woman competed for the votes of millions. The results were fair and definitive. In its official report on the election, the pro-Western OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) wrote, “Legal and technical aspects of the election were administered efficiently and within the deadlines.”
Of the four major candidates (in addition to a few minor ones), there was one clear winner. President Vladimir Putin received almost 77 percent of the votes. Communist Pavel Grudinin won 11.77 percent, while nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky garnered a little over 5 percent. Pro-American liberal Ksenia Sobchak won almost 2 percent. Evidently, when Russians went to the polls, they didn’t merely vote for Putin—the people cast their votes for a clear vision of what they want out of their society.
Amidst the ensuing power dynamics and undeniable corruption, Putin promised a new Russia.
In voting against Grudinin, Russians expressed that they had no wish to return to the days of the Soviet Union. In opposing Zhirinovsky, Russians expressed that they have no interest in engaging in meaningless wars. In opposing Sobchak, Russians expressed that they want Russia to remain a free nation, not a puppet of the EU or of the USA.
The people’s overwhelming support for Putin was a sign that they support his program. It was a sign that Russians want a just, peaceful relationship with the USA and EU. It was a sign that they approve of his efforts to rebuild Russia’s military and to restore its position in the world. It was a sign that, after almost a century of attacks on Eastern Orthodoxy, they are in favour of its revival. It also shows that they support Putin’s tolerance of, as well as his respect for, Russia’s Muslim inhabitants.
When President Putin first rose to power in the 1990s, Russia was in a state of disaster. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia regressed into a small, poor country. A new elite, who attended English schools and dressed expensively, rose to power. Amidst the ensuing power dynamics and undeniable corruption, Putin promised a new Russia. He did not look to the Soviet Union for inspiration; instead, he looked further into the past to the old Russian Empire. The story of Emperor Peter the Great especially inspired Putin’s vision for a new Russia, as Peter the Great advanced Russia from its status as the poor cousin of Europe and forged the country into a powerful nation. In light of the swift, pivotal alterations that Peter the Great brought to his country, it’s no wonder that Putin took inspiration from this historical figure. Peter the Great took the rump of a dead empire and rebuilt it into a world power, a power that made and still makes the USA and EU tremble.
Importantly, though, Putin has no interest in a Russia that is at war with the USA or the EU. He knows that war with America will only make Russia weaker. Nor does he have an interest in the conquest of the entire world—Putin is a very normal Russian patriot and Imperialist. He takes the view that there exists an entity known as “Great Russia.” Great Russia stretches from Kazakhstan to Belarus. It is not a “ethno-purist” view; it can’t be—Russia is too diverse. Putin’s sole wish is to remake the old Russian Empire, to reunify it. He dreams of a “Eurasian Union.” Once he remakes that Russian Empire, he will have no more territorial interests.
Putin also has an interest in remaking the Russian economy. While a recent slowdown has occurred, it is more prosperous than ever. In 1999, Russia had an unemployment rate of 13 percent. In 2014, that rate was 5 percent. Putin’s economic plan is quite measured. He realizes that a massive expansion of pure capitalism will result in chaos. He also realizes that the communist system will not work either. So, he has come up with a system of regulation that will ensure that capitalism is controlled.
For many, Putin’s election is a farce, similar to the “elections” of the Soviet Union. In reality, the situation was more complex. The election was clearly clean. An official for the “Civic Chamber” group said it was “unprecedentedly” so. It was a sign that the Putin is as popular as ever. As Russia faces the future, many issues confront the nation: an aggressive America, economic issues and many more obstacles. Only united will Russia be able to deal with those problems.