Redstate

Posted at 1:24am on May 8, 2008 Meet The New Boss

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Same as the old boss. And my, isn't the following telling?

The remarks appeared to presage Putin's continued hand on Russian power. "It is extremely important for everyone together to continue the course that has already been taken and has justified itself," he said.

Only then did Medvedev, 42, approach the lectern, rest his hand on a copy of the Russian Constitution, and utter the oath of office.

In a brief address afterward, he touched themes he has embraced since Putin selected him as his successor late last year and as he was shepherded through a scripted election.

He emphasized improving living standards, education and medical care, and modernizing Russia's narrow economy, which relies on oil and gas revenues, as well as other forms of natural resource extraction.

"I would like to assure all of the citizens of this country that I will be working to my fullest capacity," he said. "I fully realize how much has yet to be done."

Medvedev, whose public persona is decidedly softer than Putin's, also stressed the importance of civil rights, as he has in several speeches since he became the presumptive president-elect.

Minutes later, Putin accompanied the new president outside to review the passing formations of the ceremonial regiment. When the two men left the dais after the last platoon passed, it was on cue from Putin, not Medvedev, who followed the former president's lead.

It's safe to predict that Putin will continue to dominate policy as much as he is able to dominate political theatrics.

Posted in Dmitri Medvedev | Foreign Affairs | Russia | Vladimir Putin — Comments (0)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 2:01am on Mar. 4, 2008 Summarizing The Russian Presidential Election

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

I really can't do better than this:

THREE hours before the close of the presidential election on Sunday March 2nd, in which voters massively endorsed Dmitry Medvedev as Russia's next president, a bull-necked security guard (radio in hand, legs apart) barred the entrance to polling station number 3065. The station had been set up in a vast and heaving electronics market, apparently for the convenience of traders. But the few who turned up to vote were told that the station had closed, either because of a terrorist threat or as a result of some obscure "technical" problems. A brief look inside suggested that, although almost empty, it was in fact functioning.

Outside of the polling station stood a large group of men in black leather jackets. These were the same characters your correspondent saw casting multiple votes in the December parliamentary elections. They were soon led away and a four-wheel-drive vehicle arrived. Men emerged carrying a white plastic ballot box and were allowed into the station by a guard, who then shut the door tightly. A young policeman who came to inquire was instructed to leave by figures in plain clothes and promptly did so.

These latter men (one identified himself as a "representative of the international community") glowered, then lunged, violently throwing your correspondent and another foreign journalist on to the nearby street, with a warning never to come back. One offered a piece of advice: "Go back to England, you can ask [the self-exiled opponent of Vladimir Putin, Boris] Berezovsky and Prince Harry your questions. We'll manage here without you." Your correspondent and his colleague were then forced into a taxi, and the bemused driver was ordered to drive to the British Embassy.

Posted in Authoritarianism | Contra Tyrannum | Dictatorship | Dmitri Medvedev | Russia | Tyranny | Vladimir Putin — Comments (1)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:54am on Mar. 1, 2008 Dem Czars, Dem Czars, Dem [Beat] Authoritarian Czars . . .

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

How does one say "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" in Russian? Understand that I ask because of this:

The Kremlin is planning to falsify the results of this Sunday's presidential election in Russia by compelling millions of public sector workers to vote and by fraudulently boosting the official turnout after polls close, the Guardian has learned.

Governors, regional officials, and even headteachers have been instructed to deliver a landslide majority for Dmitry Medvedev - Russia's first deputy prime minister, whom President Vladimir Putin has endorsed to be his successor.

Officials have been told they need to secure a 68% to 70% turnout in this weekend's poll - with around 72% casting votes for Medvedev. However, independent analysts believe the real turnout will be much lower - with between 25% and 50% of the electorate taking part.

The Kremlin is planning to bridge the gap by the use of widespread fraud, diplomats and other independent sources have told the Guardian. Local election officials are preparing to stuff ballot boxes once the polls have closed with unused ballots, they believe, with regional officials also giving inflated tallies to Russia's central election commission.

Additionally, public sector workers including teachers, students, and doctors have been told to vote on Sunday or risk losing their jobs or university places. Parents have even been warned at parents' meetings that if they fail to turn up their children might suffer at school.

Read on . . .

Posted in Authoritarianism | Dictatorship | Dmitri Medvedev | Foreign Affairs | Geopolitical Nightmares | Vladimir Putin — Comments (7)/ Email this page » / Read More »