Posted on 09/30/2004 9:02:58 PM PDT by watchout
Putin wants to strip Russians of voting right MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin, seeking to overturn post-Soviet institutions, is about to submit a draft law to scrap Russians' right to elect regional leaders, a senior parliamentarian said yesterday.
The reform is part of Mr Putin's plan to bolster central authority after a militant attack in Beslan left more than 320 hostages died.
'The law will be sent to the Duma's council today or tomorrow,' said deputy Vyacheslav Volodin of the United Russia party.
The draft calls for governors to be appointed by the president.
But opinion polls showed it was widely unpopular. Critics described the change as a cynical power-grab exploiting the Beslan tragedy to increase Kremlin power. -- AP
It is too sad that we had Clinton as President during the 90s. If we had had a more hawkish foreign policy President, we might have helped Russia recover from its post Communist blues in a more permanent manner.
Bush ought to raise hell about this in public.
That power-grabbing KGB er just can't help himself.
And I heard on CBC that Putin approved the Kyota treaty today.
Le Power Grab, monsieur.
I guess the next step is to see whether "the people" have enough moxy to stand up to Putin, and say NO...
Sometime, somewhere, the Duma is going to have to insist on drawing a line in the sand, and insist that PUTIN stay within his defined powers..
Attempting a power grab does not insure success..
This move could be a total failure and backlash badly on Putin..
I think one of the fundamental flaws of policy toward Russia during the 1990s were the blank foreign aid checks, which encouraged corruption and the reemergence of the old Soviet power mongers.
Every emerging Republic needs its George Washington, or Cincinnatus. Clinton's foreign policy was one of stability over freedom, and that is consistent with France, Germany, and now Russia.
As for Russians deserving freedom, rights, and liberty? Well, I think our policies under Clinton didn't help them realize the gift they had. I can see Iraqis yearning for that freedom. If Kerry is President, he threatens that hope and optimism, and would eventually replace it with pessimism and a dream for stability, rather than a dream for freedom.
Putin is going to be Tsar Vladimir eventually.
"didn't help them realize the gift they had"
I am not sure Russian people ever had that "gift". For as long as Russia existed (about 1200 years) the aforementioned proverb held true. One could even start a dissertation about Orthodox civilizational identity, along Huntington's lines. For the realization of this "gift", nothing short of transculturation is needed.
Hell! This is what the KlinToon was hoping for!
(Commie Bastard!)
Are you series????
Sadly, I must agree. I've been saying since the early 1990s that Soviet communism might be gone, but Soviet totalitarianism was merely sleeping, awaiting the right time for reemergence. As the years went by, I thought perhaps I was wrong, but my old fears were awakened when Putin came into power.
We shall see what the future holds.
The red star will rise again.
its not the red star i fear...it is old mother russian bear that i fear
Why not to raise hell about Poland? Regional executives in Poland also are nominated by the central government and Parliament is elected through the party lists (as Putin wants for Duma). And same is with many other European countries.
Duma did draw a line in 1993 to refuse the transfer of national assets into hands of mafia and foreign speculators. The answer was the massacre of Duma at the request of Western mass media and free marketeers. Putin is restoring the democracy by setting a strong presidential republic in the style of De Gaulle. Russia needs a strong leader same way as France needed him in 1958:
Encyclopedia: Fifth Republic {{History_of_France}} The Fifth Republic is the period of the fifth and current republican constitution of France, which was introduced on October 5, 1958. The Fifth Republic emerged from the ashes of the French Fourth Republic, replacing a weak and factional parliamentary government with a stronger, more centralized democracy. [...] The former general Charles de Gaulle used the crisis as an opportunity to create a new French government with a stronger office of President, [...] Although the method and intents of de Gaulle in that referendum were highly contested by most political groups except for the Gaullists, the change was approved by the French electorate. [...]
Or rather play the role of a regent like General Franco who restored monarchy in Spain.
You will cconfuse Finalapproach29er even more by pointing out Poland is now ruled by our allies - the reformed communist party of Poland - the same party that busted up Solidarity - which was defeated in democratic elections in a landslide.
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