The Challenges of Putin’s Fourth (and Last?) Term © 2018 IAI by Andrea Aversano Stabile Among the many crucial elections of domestic pressure stemming from 2018, the race for the presidency in a slowing economy, widespread Russia is extremely predictable. Come corruption and sustained tensions with ISSN 22532-6570 18 March, Vladimir Putin seems set to the US and Europe, are not helping secure a fourth term in office, ensuring either. that he will retain power in Moscow until 2024. Protests took place repeatedly in Russia, particularly in the capital Moscow, over While all eyes are on Putin’s efforts the last years, mostly on anti-corruption to ensure that his most credible grounds. Opinion polls conducted by opponents are barred from running the Russian-based Levada Center in for office, one cannot overlook the March-April 2017, revealed that while broadly negative legacy left by the only 38 per cent of Russians’ supported incumbent. Indeed, while Putin may the protests,2 67 per cent deemed Putin have no trouble in securing a new term the main culprit for the widespread in power, governing Russia for the next phenomenon of corruption in the six years will be no easy task. country.3 A number of observers have begun 2 Elena Mukhametshina, “38% of Russians pointing to potential cracks in Putin’s approved Navalny-backed protests - Levada Center” (in Russian), in Vedomosti, 6 April 1 commanding influence. Mounting 2017, https://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/ articles/2017/04/06/684383-protesti-odobryayut. 3 Elena Mukhametshina, “Russians are against 1 See, for example, Konstantin Gaaze, “Between corruption in power, but they are calmly on Night and Day: Who Will Control Putin’s Fourth bribes” (in Russian), in Vedomosti, 28 March Term?”, in Carnegie Commentaries, 21 December 2017, https://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/ 2017, http://ceip.org/2COVooo; and Carolina De articles/2017/03/28/682969-rossiyane-protiv- Stefano, “Towards Putin’s Last Presidency?”, in korruptsii. See also Marc Bennetts, “Alexei IAI Papers, No. 18|05 (March 2018), http://www. Navalny: Is Russia’s Anti-Corruption Crusader iai.it/en/node/8843. Vladimir Putin’s Kryptonite?”, in Newsweek, IAI COMMENTARIES 18 | 17 - MARCH 2018 18 | 17 - MARCH IAI COMMENTARIES Andrea Aversano Stabile is Junior Researcher at the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI). 1 The Challenges of Putin’s Fourth (and Last?) Term Much of the impetus for these question Putin’s leadership.8 Western protests comes from Alexei Navalny, sanctions imposed on Russia in a law graduate, politician and well response to the crisis in Ukraine and known Russian social activist and Moscow’s annexation of Crimea are anticorruption blogger who has risen to furthering Russia’s economic troubles, become Putin’s most reliable contender, and the recent increase in oil prices especially after the publication of a is not enough to ensure long-term video, in March 2017, blaming Prime recovery.9 4 © 2018 IAI Minister Medvedev of fraud. Seven candidates will run in the Navalny has received much attention upcoming Russian elections. Polls in the West. After announcing his predict that nearly two-thirds candidacy in the upcoming presidential of Russian citizens will vote for elections, Navalny has been forced to Putin.10 Among the candidates, the suspend his campaign due to dubious most credited contenders are Pavel embezzlement charges, to which he has Grudinin, a tycoon surprisingly leading responded by calling on his supporters the Communist Party, and Vladimir ISSN 2532-6570 to boycott the vote.5 Zhirinovsky representing the Liberal- Democratic Party. However, the race Since protests began on 26 March between these two political figures 2017, Navalny has been arrested on is almost meaningless, given that three occasions, the last time after he overcoming the voter threshold of 15 organized protests on the day of Putin’s per cent will be close to impossible for birthday.6 Navalny’s popularity with both contenders. high-skilled workers and university students has weakened some support Anti-corruption concerns are not the for Putin,7 while there have been a only source of popular discontent in number of indications that Western Russia. Another survey by the Levada sanctions targeting Russian oligarchs Center in August 2017 has examined may be leading some to hesitantly Russian citizen perceptions and priorities for change and reform in 17 April 2017, http://www.newsweek.com/ the country. Two issues top the list of node/585004. 4 Marc Bennetts, “Why Putin’s Corruption 8 Roman Goncharenko, “US Sanctions: Nervous Crackdown May Be a Pre-Election Show”, Russian Elite ‘Realize Putin Made a Serious in Newsweek, 6 March 2018, http://www. Mistake’”, in Deutsche Welle, 19 January 2018, newsweek.com/node/830704. http://p.dw.com/p/2rA2i; Darya Korsunskaya, 5 Roman Goncharenko, “Alexei Navalny: The Katya Golubkova and Gleb Stolyarov, “For Some Opposition Leader Captivating Russia’s Youth”, Russian Oligarchs, Sanctions Risk Makes Putin in Deutsche Welle, 29 January 2018, http://p. Awkward to Know”, in Reuters, 30 November dw.com/p/2rjdz. 2017, https://reut.rs/2inZKOz. 6 Marc Bennetts, “More Than 260 Arrests in Anti- 9 Andrew E. Kramer, “Rising Oil Prices Buoy Putin Protests across Russia”, in The Guardian, 7 Russia’s Economy, Despite Sanctions”, in The October 2017, https://gu.com/p/7bkhv. New York Times, 18 January 2018, https://nyti. 7 Clara Weiss, “What Does Russian ‘Opposition ms/2DiJ0xs. Leader’ Alexei Navalny Represent?”, in World 10 Roman Goncharenko, “Russia Election: Who Socialist Web Site, 9 January 2018, http://www. Are Vladimir Putin’s Challengers?”, in Deutsche wsws.org/en/articles/2018/01/09/nava-j09.html. Welle, 8 February 2018, http://p.dw.com/p/2sNM7. IAI COMMENTARIES 18 | 17 - MARCH 2018 18 | 17 - MARCH IAI COMMENTARIES 2 The Challenges of Putin’s Fourth (and Last?) Term citizen concerns: improving living Aside from some hesitant murmurs standards (25 per cent of respondents) of opposition due to the slowing and enhancing social protection (17 economy, Vladimir Putin may also face per cent), demonstrating how socio- challenges due to his weakening ability economic issues remain the key to protect core state interests and challenge facing the government.11 manage the complexity of the power politics in Russia. While often portrayed After an initially dormant electoral as having a quasi-mystical control over 12 © 2018 IAI campaign, Putin’s presidential address Russian domestic and foreign policies, on 1 March did move to make some the reality in Russia may be somewhat promises in the social and economic more complex. domain. Although focusing mainly on the international posture of Russia While Putin continues to maintain and backed for the first time by images a strong influence over state of Russia’s military might, Putin also institutions, the bureaucracy, army talked of raising the minimum wage and media, recent reports of surveys and providing social benefits.13 being conducted among Russian’s ISSN 2532-6570 armed forces to discern attitudes Doubts remain on the effective towards opposition movements and implementation of these promises, a willingness to “use force against however. Planned increases in persons calling for a violent change healthcare and education spending in Russia’s constitutional order”,15 face a significant lack of resources and demonstrate some degree of worry in Putin’s promise to increase GDP per the higher echelons in Moscow. capita by 1.5 per cent by 2025 would require a yearly GDP growth of 7 per Two recent events may serve to further cent, while the best-case prediction for indicate the slow emergence of cracks 2018 is 3.3 per cent.14 in Putin’s influence, namely the loss of accreditation of the European University of Saint Petersburg and 11 the criminal prosecution of former Andrei Kolesnikov and Denis Volkov, “The 16 Perils of Change: Russians’ Mixed Attitudes Minister Alexey Ulyukaev. In the first toward Reform”, in Carnegie Commentaries, 6 case, and despite Putin’s efforts and February 2018, http://ceip.org/2BYSXP4. momentary success in restoring the 12 Oliver Carroll, “Russia Election 2018: On the University’s license about a week after it Road with Vladimir Putin’s Weird, Non-Existent Presidential Campaign”, in The Independent, 9 was originally revoked, the Arbitration February 2018, http://www.independent.co.uk/ Court of Saint Petersburg subsequently news/world/europe/russia-election-2018- vladimir-putin-presidential-campaign-on-the- road-novosibirsk-vote-latest-a8202971.html. 13 “Russia: Putin Promises Guns and Butter”, in 15 Dmitry Feoktistov, “Russian Military Tests Stratfor Snapshots, 1 March 2018, https://goo.gl/ Soldiers’ Willingness to Quash Opposition qWtdFA. Protests”, in The Moscow Times, 6 February 2018, 14 Vadim Dumesh and Ben Aris, “Moscow Blog: https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russian- How Realistic Are Putin’s Promises to Massively military-tests-soldiers-willingness-quash- Increase Social Spending?”, in bne IntelliNews, 7 opposition-protests-60404. March 2018, http://bit.ly/2FxDT1q. 16 Konstantin Gaaze, “Between Night and Day”, cit. IAI COMMENTARIES 18 | 17 - MARCH 2018 18 | 17 - MARCH IAI COMMENTARIES 3 The Challenges of Putin’s Fourth (and Last?) Term withdrew it again three months later.17 For a country that is about to trace In the second example, and for the a pathway towards a silver wedding first time under Putin, a Minister with its political leader, Putin’s has been prosecuted for bribery.18 expected fourth term is likely to be Although potentially orchestrated by rife with challenges. These range the President himself – in an effort from modernizing the economy, to to eliminate a rival –, these episodes improving social protection of citizens, reveal that Putin’s hold on power may as well as tackling frictions with the EU © 2018 IAI not be that solid as it appears. and the US and calming the impetus of anti-corruption protests.