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Politics in Russia: power, lobby, conflicts. Issue No (52) 740

Politics in Russia: power, lobby, conflicts. Issue No (52) 740

December 15-21, 2008

Main tendencies of political week

On the background of the worsening financial and economic situation, struggle for resources between elite groups and companies in their spheres of influence sharpened. On the eve of the new year, whose coming is traditionally accompanied by growth in tariffs of natural monopolies, struggle around these rates intensified and the ongoing crisis contributes to this fight. In particular, Russian Railways managed to find common ground with the government and it may count on preferences by the state. The electrical energy sector also got its share due to patronage of deputy PM Igor Sechin. But Gazprom sustained a tactical defeat: its tariffs will be raised quarterly and this growth may not be the same the monopolist’s managers are expecting.

Another urgent issue on the government level is working out an optimal strategy of struggling against the crisis. This was reflected in the creation of an anti-crisis commission headed by first deputy PM Igor Shuvalov. Its composition was announced last week and it shows that representatives of different branches of power and ideological movements were included into it to maintain balance. This will ensure additional breadth of scope when working out solutions and will serve as a guarantee that no influential player will impede their implementation. However, not all government heavyweights are in this new body. In particular, deputy PM Igor Sechin is not its member.

Major events December 15 - December 21, 2008

Event Winning side Defeated side Development Outlooks

State Duma passes the presidential package of bills on fighting corruption in the third reading

Dmitry Medvedev

 

Next year there will be attempts to play back by blocking implementation of the most unpleasant provisions for officials

Composition of the government’s anti-crisis commission headed by first deputy PM Igor Shuvalov is announced

Vladimir Putin

 

Commission’s decisions will be implemented quickly with minimal counteraction on the federal level

State Duma passes bill on cancelling election deposit in the first reading

Dmitry Medvedev

 

The bill will be adopted as soon as possible but with amendments

Deputy chief of government staff, Mikhail Kopeikin, resigns

Sergey Sobyanin

Andrey Belousov

The vacated post may be occupied by Sobyanin’s protégé

Bill on establishing Rosavtodor state corporation is submitted to State Duma

Sergey Ivanov, Sergey Sobyanin, Igor Levitin

 

There will be tough struggle for control over the state corporation

Pravoe Delo and OPORa Rossii sign agreement

Pravoe Delo

United Russia

The new party may compete against UR on the right conservative wing

Mass protests in some Russian regions

 

 

The actions have been of warning character so far but they are endangering the political system’s stability

Presidential administration chief Sergey Naryshkin is appointed head of the presidential commission for reforming and developing civil service

Dmitry Medvedev, Sergey Naryshkin

 

Process of creating the staff reserve will be accelerated

Interior troops commander Nikolay Rogozhkin says the process of reducing the troops’ quantity has been frozen

Rashid Nurgaliyev, Nikolay Rogozhkin

 

Interior troops may be reinforced by new weapons and personnel in the near future

Volume: 14 pages

 


If you are interested to obtain please contact » Elena Kim

Other issues:
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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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