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March 28, 2000

 

Moscow, Mar 27: Vladimir Putin's election as president was hailed Monday as the start of a new age in Russia even though the new master of the Kremlin has yet to spell out how he will handle the daunting challenge of restoring political order and invigorating the ailing economy, reports AP.

 

Little known and a political outsider, one of the first tasks of Russia's second democratically elected president will be to choose a prime minister, come up with specific proposals to revive the   economy, and clear corruption out of the government.

 

The presidential inauguration is to take place in early May. Dmitry Kozak, the government chief of staff, told the Interfax news agency Monday that a new prime minister would not be named until after the inauguration.

 

"The government will be formed by the head of state and the prime minister", Kozak was quoted as saying, adding, "New people are likely to appear. "

 

Other senior government officials indicated that Putin intended to forge new policies; Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said “correctives" would be made in Russia's foreign policy now that Putin has been elected. 

 

The former KGB spy has a full agenda. He must confront the ongoing war against rebels in the breakaway republic of Chechnya and take into account the strong support of a nearly a third of the electorate who voted for his Communist opponent.

 

With 95.51 per cent of the vote counted in Sunday's presidential election, Putin led with 52.64 per cent. Communist candidate Gennacty Zyuganov was second with 29.34 per cent and liberal Grigory Yavlinsky third with 5.84 per cent. The other eight candidates lagged far behind.

 

World leaders sent congratulations, and Putin spoke by telephone Monday with President Jiang Zemin of China and Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair.

    

Putin's victory came as a relief to many Russians after the rule of former President Boris Yeltsin, whose unpredictability, poor health and allegations of corruption within his family contributed to his political demise.

 

A "time of political adventurists and experimenters" is over in Russia, said former Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, whose abrupt dismissal by Yeltsin in March 1998 set off two years of political instability.

 

“Putin's is a man who gets down to work in earnest, a man who will be able to establish order and discipline and speed up economic development," Chernomyrdin told Interfax.

 
Chernomyrdin dismissed fears that Putin's call for strong
government might lead to dictatorship, saying, "Russian society would never accept a return to authoritarianism. "

 

Despite Zyuganov's stronger than expected showing, analysts said Putin had gained Support on traditional Communist turf and benefited from apathy among voters who in earlier elections had supported nationalists and reformers.

 

"There is a popular longing for a person who would come and satisfy everyone. That has happened to Yeltsin before, and it's taking place now," said Dmitry Dreshkin, chief analyst of the Central Election Commission.

 

No serious voting violations were reported, either by Russian or international election observers. Bjorn von der Esch, a member of the observer mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said that the vote was "free and fair." However, an OSCE statement expressed concern about media bias in both private and government-controlled media.

 

Putin has promised to restore Russia's international and military might, fight economic and political corruption, revive Russia's economy, as well as battle poverty and social injustice that have contributed to continuing support for the Communists.

 

Although Putin managed to avoid being forced into a runoff vote against Zyuganov, his victory was less than the huge win that the former KGB officer had sought.

 

Acknowledging the scale of the problems facing him, Putin said early Monday fie would not make any promises of quick improvements.

 

"The level of expectations is very high - people are tired and
struggling and they're hoping for things to get better, but miracles don't happen," he told a press conference.

 

Even before the election outcome was clear, Zyuganov accused the government of falsifying the results, saying the Communist vote was more than 40 per cent.

 

'They have set up a zone of blanket fraud to cheat citizens," he said.

 

Putin acknowledge the Communists had done well despite their cash-strapped campaign and that his government would have to take into account popular discontent. He saw he would consider bringing opposition groups into the government if they shared his views.


"That means that our policy must be more balanced, take into account the existing realities and aim at increasing living standards," he told journalists.

 

The tough, man-of-action image that Putin cultivates appeals to many Russians, tired of the uncertainty of the final years of Yeltsin.

 

Source: The Daily Star

 


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