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Politics in Russia: power, lobby, conflicts. Issue No (50) 738

Politics in Russia: power, lobby, conflicts. Issue No (50) 738

December 1 - 7, 2008 

Main tendencies of political week

Last week was marked by two events of special importance. The first one was Vladimir Putin’s phone-in session, which he held for the first time not as president. On the whole, the answers to questions were not sensational and were aimed at reassuring the population amid the financial crisis and the upcoming job cuts. There is an important political component in such statements, which is becoming clearer and clearer. This is an idea that preparations for the crisis had started long before it occurred and many measures that had been criticized for being anti-liberal (e.g. strengthening of the state’s role in economy) were the elements of those preparations.

The second event was the decease of the first and the only Patriarch of post-Soviet Russia, Alexy II. During almost 20 years of his active work he managed to reestablish the Church’s positions lost during the Soviet time. The main project of his recent work, which he managed to launch, has been restoration of unity of the Church. At the same time the future of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) as well as continuation of implementation of this project will depend to a great extent on the next patriarch. It seems there is no consensus regarding the candidature. Thus, in the next six months that the ROC has to elect a new patriarch, there will be bitter struggle inside it.

The 7th national congress of judges took place last week – an important event held once in four years as a rule. The president traditionally attended it and indicated directions of modernizing the court system. However, the congress is interesting in the context of intensified activities of the heads of the supreme and supreme arbitration courts, who have traditionally struggled for leadership in the judicial branch of power. About two years ago, Supreme Court chair Vyacheslav Lebedev was in a more privileged position; however, in his speech Dmitry Medvedev made it clear that he would support ambitions of his protégé, supreme arbitration court head Anton Ivanov. In particular, the president put forward an idea to substantially broaden competence of arbitration courts, which will considerably increase their influence on the country’s economic and even political life.

Major events December 1 - December 7, 2008

Event Winning sideh Defeated side Development Outlooks

Patriarch Alexy II dies; Metropolitan Kirill (Gundyayev) elected interim leader

 

 

Metropolitan Kirill will become a new patriarch

Vladimir Putin’s phone-in session

Vladimir Putin

 

Authorities will keep reassuring the population worried about the financial and economic crisis

Dmitry Medvedev addresses the 7th national congress of judges

Dmitry Medvedev, Anton Ivanov

Vyacheslav Lebedev

The position of Supreme Arbitration Court (SAC) will strengthen noticeably

SAC chair Anton Ivanov’s interview with Kommersant newspaper

Anton Ivanov

 

SAC head will continue demonstrating loyalty to the current administrative vertical

Supreme Court head Vyacheslav Lebedev proposes to abolish the minimal limit of punishment in criminal cases

 

Vyacheslav Lebedev

This initiative will not be implemented due to its high corruption potential

Dmitry Medvedev’s order to speed up implementation of initiatives voiced in his Address

Dmitry Medvedev

 

Functionaries will start imitating activities and discuss ways of implementing the order

Dmitry Medvedev’s decree on reforming the interior ministry’s structure

Alexey Anichin, Nikolay Rogozhkin

 

Creation of a single investigation body will be postponed

Vladimir Isakov, head of the armed forces’ rear services, is dismissed

Anatoly Serdyukov

 

Dismissals of top brass representatives in the General Staff may follow

Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev says reforms will concern not only the armed forces but also other power bodies

 

 

Considering the current social and economic situation, total reforms of power bodies are unlikely

Justice minister Alexander Konovalov says about intention to expand the ministry’s staff on 1 January 2009

Alexander Konovalov

 

Justice ministry may get inconsiderable additional authority or expand its staff but much fewer than by intended 200 people

Volume: 14 pages

 

 


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Analytical series “The Political compass”:

Political power in Russia after presidential election
State Corporations in the Russian Economy
Political Results of 2007: Russia on the Eve of Power Shuffle
Political Landscape Ahead of the Parliamentary Election 2007
«Centers of influence» in the Russian politics
Leading Russian corporations and the executive power: interaction methods
Forecast of political developments after the presidential election in 2008

All reports for: 2009 , 2008 , 2007

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