A huge number of people rallied in more than 40 cities in Russia last weekend. It was a mass protest, the strongest in the post-Soviet years. A comparison with the mass protest in Tahrir Square in Cairo springs to mind. The agitation was triggered by charges of electoral fraud in the December 4 Duma elections. Criticism has been strident about Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his United Russia government. Putin’s party lost considerable support in the share of vote down to 50% from 64% despite the polls having been rigged. Putin himself is a popular figure. But his government has lost popularity owing to its tolerance of corruption and failure to build a diversified economy.
During Putin’s tenure as President from 2000-2008, living standards in Russia went up as oil and gas prices soared. The Russian middle class expanded. But the global slowdown and the rise in commodity prices after 2008 gave rise to considerable economic distress. The rule of law became fragile. Foreign investors shied away. The economic crisis led to a long spell of discontent. Putin’s autocratic style of government did not improve matters. His personality cult sagged. Nevertheless, he is slated to win the Presidential polls next March. One might say, however, that Putin has not quite emerged from the legacy of the Soviet regime. It can eventually lead to his decline and fall. The remedy lies in political and economic reforms. India is interested in political stability in Russia in view of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Moscow this week to negotiate a nuclear energy deal.