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Main page > Products > Politics in Russia: power, lobby, conflicts - The weekly bulletin > Politics in Russia: power, lobby, conflicts. Issue No (41) 729
Politics in Russia: power, lobby, conflicts. Issue No (41) 729
September 29 - October 5, 2008
Main tendencies of political week
The main event last week was the submission of anti-corruption bills to the State Duma by Dmitry Medvedev. The new president and his team seem to be very determined to fight graft. The emphasis is made on oversight and supervisory measures (extending accountability of officials, legal possibilities of law enforcement agencies on checking information provided to them, etc.). It is not yet clear whether the option of property confiscation will be reestablished in Russia’s legislation, which currently exists in quite a limited form. It is also noteworthy that fight against graft opens new ways for inside-elite struggle, although state authorities seem not to allow war of everybody against everybody.
Transformation on the party field continued last week affecting the right wing. The Union of Right Forces (SPS), which has been in crisis for a long time amid the collapse of an old pro-Western liberal idea, decided to compromise with state authorities. This decision may result in much more important consequences than it seems at first. Firstly, the emergence of a new liberal party may signify that the president will get his own support on the public and political field as the current four parliamentary parties do not suit this purpose due to various reasons. Besides, it may lead to some liberalization of a political life (but not in the revanche way expected by the supporters of the thaw) with the coming of ‘new rightists’ to the State Duma in 2011.
The degree of administrative confrontation remained on a traditionally high level in the government. In particular, the so-called generals’ Fronde became more active indicating the price of their loyalty. The defense ministry’s civil leaders seem not to be following generals’ demands and are going to employ a ‘stick’ policy in the form of anti-corruption investigations. Economy minister Elvira Nabiullina also became more active; she feels much more confident and she is going to win back the positions lost and gain new ones. It is quite possible she has obtained new influential allies. The prosecutor general’s office indicated it would like to get back some authority, which does not confirm rumors about Yury Chaika’s soon dismissal.
Major events September 29 - October 5, 2008
| Event | Winning side | Defeated side | Development Outlooks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dmitry Medvedev submits a set of anti-corruption bills to the State Duma | Dmitry Medvedev |
| The bills will be approved but their implementation may be sabotaged on a regional level |
| Information about the beginning of reforms in the General Staff is posted |
| Anatoly Serdyukov | The minister’s reforms may provoke unification of discontented generals around new centers, e.g. the paradise group |
| Arrest of a high-ranking officer of the railway troops, Yevgeny Kornishin | Anatoly Serdyukov |
| It may somewhat neutralize activities of generals’ Fronde |
| Economy minister Elvira Nabiullina says about undesirability of merger of some entities subordinate to the ministry on the basis of the Federal Agency for Managing State Property | Elvira Nabiullina |
| Nabiullina’s proposal may be approved |
| Prosecutor General’s Office proposes to stop dissemination of extremism on the Internet | Yury Chaika |
| Prosecutor General’s Office and the interior ministry may launch closer cooperation on fighting extremism |
| Prosecutor General’s Office proposes to give it back the right to initiate criminal cases against individuals with special status | Yury Chaika |
| Prosecutor General’s Office may get this right |
| Main provisions of the 2020 Strategy are approved | Elvira Nabiullina |
| Document will be approved but changes in the financial and economic situation in the country will require adjustments to it |
| Representatives of three right parties hold a joint press conference | SPS |
| In case of its fast registration, the new party has chances to have its representatives in regional legislatures following the spring elections |
| Deputy PM Igor Sechin is nominated to Inter RAO UES board | Igor Sechin |
| Radical siloviki will establish control over state assets in the electrical energy sector |
| Deputy prosecutor general Viktor Grin and State Duma security committee head Vladimir Vasilyev propose to reestablish the ministry for ethnic affairs |
|
| This topic will be promoted by the prosecutor general’s office in the light of fight against extremism |
| Information is posted that Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree broadening the staff and authority of the presidential property management department | Vladimir Kozhin |
| President will continue stressing continuity of the policy of his predecessor |
Volume: 15 pages
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