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Russia

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Russia Image File history File links Ballot_box_current. ... This article is about the political process. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Coat_of_Arms_of_the_Russian_Federation. ... The politics of Russia (or the Russian Federation) take place in a framework of a federal presidential republic. ...

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The Russian Presidential election of 2008, scheduled to be held on March 2, 2008^[1] is widely expected to be a race between a Kremlin-backed candidate supported by incumbent president Vladimir Putin, the candidates of the Communists and right-wing opposition, and nominees from the liberal opposition. The President of Russia (Russian: ) is the Head of State and highest office within the Government of Russia. ... Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: ) (born October 7, 1952) is the current President of the Russian Federation. ... The Russian presidential administration (also known as Staff of Russia’s president, Presidential Executive Office, in Russian: Администрация Президента Российской Федерации)) is the executive office of Russias president created by a decree of Boris Yeltsin on July 19, 1991 as an institution supporting the activity of the president (then Yeltsin) and vice-president... The Security Council of the Russian Federation (SCRF)is an executive-level branch of the Russian that acts as a consulative body on national security affairs (Russian: Совет Безопасности РФ; Soviet Bezopasnosti). ... The Prime Minister of Russia is the current Head of Government of the Russian Federation. ... Viktor Alekseyevich Zubkov (Russian: ; b. ... Federal Assembly of Russia (Федеральное Собрание) is the name of the parliament of the Russian Federation, according to the Constitution of Russian Federation, 1993. ... Federation Council of Russia (Russian: ; Sovet Federatsii) is the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Russia (parliament of the Russian Federation), according to the 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation. ... For other uses, see State Duma (disambiguation). ... According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Russian judiciary shall have judicial appeal and judicial review at the level of the Supreme Court. ... Constitutional Court of Russian Federation (Russian: Конституционный Суд Российской Федерации) is a high court which is empowered to rule on whether or not certain laws or presidential decrees are in fact contrary to the Constitution of Russia. ... The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation (Russian: ) is the final instance in administrative law, civil law and criminal law cases. ... The Supreme Court of Arbitration of the Russian Federation is the final instance in commercial disputes in Russia. ... The Public Chamber (In Russian: Общественная палата) is a state institution with 126 members created in 2005 in Russia to analyze draft legislation and monitor the activities of the parliament, government and other government bodies of Russia and its Federal Subjects. ... The State Council of the Russian Federation (Russian: Государственный Совет) is an advisory body to the Head of State, which deals with issues of the highest importance to the state as a whole. ... The primary and fundamental statement of laws in the Russian Federation is the Constitution of the Russian Federation. ... Political parties in Russia lists political parties in Russia. ... Elections in Russia gives information on election and election results in Russia. ... Presidential elections were held in the Russian Federation on March 26, 2000. ... Presidential elections were held in the Russian Federation on March 14, 2004. ... Legislative elections were held in the Russian Federation on December 19, 1999. ... Legislative elections were held in the Russian Federation on December 7, 2003. ... Legislative elections will be held in the Russian Federation on December 2, 2007[1]. At stake are the 450 seats in the State Duma (Gosudarstvennaya Duma), the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia (The legislature). ... The Central Election Commission of Russia is the superior power body responsible for conducting federal elections and overseeing local elections in the Russian Federation founded in Spetember 1993. ... Russia is a federation which consists of 86 subjects[1]. These subjects are of equal federal rights in the sense that they have equal representation—two delegates each—in the Federation Council (upper house of the Russian parliament). ... // The rights and liberties of the citizens of the Russian Federation are granted by the 2nd Chapter of the Constitution adopted in 1993. ... Regarding the foreign relations of Russia, Russia has taken important steps to become a full partner in the worlds principal political groupings. ... The Russian Federation has one of the largest networks of embassies and consulates of any country. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... is the 61st day of the year (62nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (common) era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: ) (born October 7, 1952) is the current President of the Russian Federation. ...

Declared Candidates

Eleven candidates have officially declared their intention to run for President in 2008. These are, in alphabetical order:

• Vladimir Bukovsky - Soviet-era dissident [1]. On August 3, 2007 he received a new Russian passport at the Russian Embassy in London. He arrived in Moscow in October to launch his campaign. [2]
• Alexander Donskoi - Mayor of Arkhangelsk
• Viktor Gerashchenko - Former head of the Central Bank, deputy of the nationalist Rodina party who has now joined the Other Russia coalition [3]. He was initially the favoured candidate of Garry Kasparov.
• Sergei Gulyayev - Former St Petersburg Yabloko regional legislator, announced his intention to run, despite the fact that Yabloko's leader has also declared his intention to stand. [4] Gulyayev was the fourth candidate from the Other Russia coalition to announce his candidacy.
• Garry Kasparov - Former World Chess Champion and United Civil Front leader [5] will run for Other Russia. Before announcing his candidacy, he previously endorsed Viktor Gerashchenko. [6]
• Mikhail Kasyanov - Former Prime Minister and current leader of the Popular Democratic Union. It is not known if Kasyanov will continue his candidacy now Garry Kasparov has entered the race.
• Nikolai Kuryanovich - Ultranationalist member of the State Duma; an open admirer of both Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. [7]
• Gennadiy Seleznyov - Former Speaker of the Duma
• Oleg Shenin - The leader of the small, hardline Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Shenin), which should not be confused with the larger UCP-CPSU.
• Grigory Yavlinsky - Leader of the Yabloko party, who also stood for the presidency in 1996 and in 2000. [8]
• Vladimir Zhirinovsky - Nationalist Deputy Speaker of the State Duma and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.
• Gennady Zyuganov - Leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and former presidential candidate, who ran for President in 1996 (when he came short just a few percent of the votes) and 2000, but not in 2004. [9]

Vladimir Bukovsky early photo Vladimir Konstantinovich Bukovsky (Russian: ; b. ... is the 215th day of the year (216th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For Microsoft Corporation’s “universal login” service, formerly known as Microsoft Passport Network, see Windows Live ID. For other types of travel document, see Travel document. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see October (disambiguation). ... Arkhangelsk (Russian: ), formerly called Archangel in English, is a city in and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. ... Viktor Vladimirovich Gerashchenko, byname Gerakl (the Russian version of Heracles), was the Chairman of the Soviet and then Russian Central Bank during much of the Perestroika and post-Perestroika periods. ... Rodina or Motherland-National Patriotic Union (Rodina - Narodno-Patriotičeskij Sojuz, Партия РОДИНА) is one of the four parties that control seats in the Russian legislature. ... The Other Russia (Russian: ), sometimes cited as Another Russia, is an umbrella coalition that gathers opponents of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. ... Garry Kimovich Kasparov (IPA: ; Russian: ) (born April 13, 1963, in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR; now Azerbaijan) is a Russian chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, writer and political activist. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... Yabloko (official title: the Russian Democratic Party Yabloko, in Russian: Российская демократическая партия Яблоко, (Russian: — Apple)) is a Russian social-liberal party, led by Grigory Yavlinsky. ... Yabloko (official title: the Russian Democratic Party Yabloko, in Russian: Российская демократическая партия Яблоко, (Russian: — Apple)) is a Russian social-liberal party, led by Grigory Yavlinsky. ... The Other Russia (Russian: ), sometimes cited as Another Russia, is an umbrella coalition that gathers opponents of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. ... Garry Kimovich Kasparov (IPA: ; Russian: ) (born April 13, 1963, in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR; now Azerbaijan) is a Russian chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, writer and political activist. ... The 1984 World Chess Championship was between Anatoly Karpov (left) and Garry Kasparov (right). ... United Civil Front logo United Civil Front (Russian: , Obyedinennyónnïy Grazhdánskiy Front) is a social movement in Russia founded by chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov. ... The Other Russia (Russian: ), sometimes cited as Another Russia, is an umbrella coalition that gathers opponents of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. ... Viktor Vladimirovich Gerashchenko, byname Gerakl (the Russian version of Heracles), was the Chairman of the Soviet and then Russian Central Bank during much of the Perestroika and post-Perestroika periods. ... Mikhail Mikhailovitch Kasyanov (Михаи́л Миха́йлович Касья́нов) (born 8 December 1957) was the Prime Minister of Russia from January 2000 to February 2004. ... The Prime Minister of Russia is the current Head of Government of the Russian Federation. ... The Peoples Democratic Union is a liberal opposition political party in Russia. ... For other uses, see State Duma (disambiguation). ... Hitler redirects here. ... Josef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (Georgian: , Ioseb Besarionis Dze Jughashvili; Russian: , Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili) (December 18 [O.S. December 6] 1878[1] – March 5, 1953), better known by his adopted name, Joseph Stalin (alternatively transliterated Josef Stalin), was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Unions Central Committee from... Gennadiy Seleznyov (b. ... The Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation (lang-rus Председатель Государственной Думы Федерального собрания Российской Федерации), also called Speaker (спикер), is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Russian parliament. ... Oleg Semyonovich Shenin is a Russian presidential candidate for the Presidential election of 2008 and the leader of the reconstituted Union of Communist Parties - Communist Party of the Soviet Union. ... Grigory Alexeyevich Yavlinsky (born 1952) is a Russian economist, political figure, and reformer. ... Yabloko (official title: the Russian Democratic Party Yabloko, in Russian: Российская демократическая партия Яблоко, (Russian: — Apple)) is a Russian social-liberal party, led by Grigory Yavlinsky. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... For other uses, see State Duma (disambiguation). ... Leader of the party The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (Либерально-Демократическая Партия России, Liberalno-Demokratičeskaja Partija Rossii) is a far right political party in Russia. ... Zyuganov on a November 7 rally Gennady Andreyevich Zyuganov or Guennady Ziuganov (Russian: ) (born 26 June 1944) is a Russian politician, and head of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (since 1993), a member of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (since 1996). ... The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (Russian: Коммунистическая партия Российской Федерации = КПРФ; translit. ...

Potential Candidates

Kremlin-backed candidates

Vladimir Putin, who is barred by the Russian Constitution from seeking a third consecutive term, is expected to back one of the current Deputy Prime Ministers, Sergei Ivanov or Dmitry Medvedev. On February 1, 2007 Putin announced that he would not nominate a successor up front, but would back a candidate after the campaign had begun.^[2][3] Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: ) (born October 7, 1952) is the current President of the Russian Federation. ... For other people known as Sergei Ivanov, see Ivanov. ... Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (Russian: Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев)(b. ...

There is currently a great deal of speculation in the Russian and Western media as to who Putin's likely successor will be. In addition to Medvedev and Ivanov, other names which have been mentioned as possible candidates include governor of St Petersburg Valentina Matviyenko, head of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin, leader of the United Russia party Boris Gryzlov, and the leader of the pro-Kremlin Fair Russia party, Sergei Mironov. Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko (Russian: , b. ... Russian Railways emblem Russian Railways electric locomotive VL10 Russian Railways (Russian: ), is the state-owned railway company of Russia. ... Vladimir Yakunin Vladimir Ivanovich Yakunin (Russian: Владимир Иванович Якунин; born June 30, 1948 in Vladimir region), is a Russian official, head of state-run Russian Railways company. ... United Russia (Yedinaya Rossiya, Russian Единая Россия; the more correct translation is Unified Russia) is a political party in the Russian Federation which usually labels itself centrist. ... Boris Gryzlov Boris Vyacheslavovich Gryzlov or Boris Grizlov (Russian: Борис Вячеславович Грызлов) (b. ... Fair Russia: Motherland/Pensioners/Life[1] (Russian: ; Spravedlivaya Rossiya: Rodina/Pensionery/Zhizn), also translated as Russia of Justice: Motherland/Pensioners/Life,[2] Justice Russia: Motherland/Pensioners/Life[3] and Just Russia: Motherland/Pensioners/Life,[4] was formed on 28 October 2006 as a merger of Rodina, the Russian Party of... Sergey Mironov Sergey Mikhailovich Mironov (Russian: ) (born February 14, 1953), is a Russian statesman and the current Speaker of the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament. ...

On September 14, 2007 Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that his new Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov is one of six people who are apt to run for President in 2008 ([10]). is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: ) (born October 7, 1952) is the current President of the Russian Federation. ... The Prime Minister of Russia is the current Head of Government of the Russian Federation. ... Viktor Alekseyevich Zubkov (Russian: ; b. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (common) era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Other Russia

There have been attempts by the Other Russia coalition to find a single candidate for the liberal opposition to unite around. The most prominent Other Russia activist, Garry Kasparov, had ruled himself out of the race, [11] but later decided to run nevertheless [12]. A number of Other Russia coalition members have also launched their own campaigns, including Viktor Gerashchenko (who was favored by Kasparov) and Mikhail Kasyanov. Others, such as Grigory Yavlinsky and the right-wing Union of Right Forces, have refused to cooperate with the Other Russia due to the inclusion in the coalition of left and nationalistic groups such as Eduard Limonov's National Bolshevik Party and Viktor Anpilov's Workers' Party. It is therefore unlikely that the opposition will be able to unite around a single candidate, and likely that the official Kremlin candidate will benefit not only from the continued popularity of Vladimir Putin and his United Russia party, but a splintered vote amongst all the opposition candidates. The Other Russia (Russian: ), sometimes cited as Another Russia, is an umbrella coalition that gathers opponents of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. ... The Other Russia (Russian: ), sometimes cited as Another Russia, is an umbrella coalition that gathers opponents of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. ... Garry Kimovich Kasparov (IPA: ; Russian: ) (born April 13, 1963, in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR; now Azerbaijan) is a Russian chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, writer and political activist. ... The Other Russia (Russian: ), sometimes cited as Another Russia, is an umbrella coalition that gathers opponents of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. ... Viktor Vladimirovich Gerashchenko, byname Gerakl (the Russian version of Heracles), was the Chairman of the Soviet and then Russian Central Bank during much of the Perestroika and post-Perestroika periods. ... Mikhail Mikhailovitch Kasyanov (Михаи́л Миха́йлович Касья́нов) (born 8 December 1957) was the Prime Minister of Russia from January 2000 to February 2004. ... Grigory Alexeyevich Yavlinsky (born 1952) is a Russian economist, political figure, and reformer. ... The Union of Right Forces, or SPS (Сою́з Пра́вых Сил, СПС/Soyuz Pravykh Sil), is a Russian democratic opposition party associated with free market reforms, privatization, and the legacy of the Young Reformers of the 1990s: Anatoly Chubais, Boris Nemtsov, and Yegor Gaidar. ... The Other Russia (Russian: ), sometimes cited as Another Russia, is an umbrella coalition that gathers opponents of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The National Bolshevik Party (Russian: Национал-большевистская партия) (also known as Nazbol) is a political party which is dedicated to the ideology of National Bolshevism. ... Viktor Anpilov is a Russian Communist politician and trade unionist. ... The Workers Party is a name used by various political parties throughout the world. ... Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: ) (born October 7, 1952) is the current President of the Russian Federation. ... United Russia (Yedinaya Rossiya, Russian Единая Россия; the more correct translation is Unified Russia) is a political party in the Russian Federation which usually labels itself centrist. ...

Speculations

A number of other Russian politicians have speculated that they may wish to stand for the presidency, without formally declaring their intentions. These are, in alphabetical order:

• Andrei Lugovoi, the main suspect in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, and number two on the federal list of candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia in the Russian legislative election, 2007, suggested in an interview that he may stand for the presidency at a later date. [13] Lugovoi later retracted his remarks, saying he supports the candidacy of Vladimir Zhirinovsky in 2008.
• Current Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, who as of September 2007 has not ruled out launching a presidential bid if his tenure is successful. [14]
• Some Russian nationalists, such as the Movement Against Illegal Immigration, have said they would like Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to become President in 2008, a move which is not possible under the Russian constitution.

Andrei Lugovoi (Lugovoy) (Russian: ) (Born 1966 in Azerbaijan) is a former KGB operative [1] and millionaire who met with Alexander Litvinenko on the day Litvinenko fell ill (1 November 2006). ... Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko (Russian: ) (30 August 1962[1][2] – 23 November 2006) was a lieutenant-colonel in the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, alleged agent of MI6[3] , and later a Russian dissident and writer. ... Leader of the party The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (Либерально-Демократическая Партия России, Liberalno-Demokratičeskaja Partija Rossii) is a far right political party in Russia. ... Legislative elections will be held in the Russian Federation on December 2, 2007[1]. At stake are the 450 seats in the State Duma (Gosudarstvennaya Duma), the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia (The legislature). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... Viktor Alekseyevich Zubkov (Russian: ; b. ... Emblem of Movement Against Illegal Immigration The Movement Against Illegal Immigration (DPNI) (Russian: Движение против нелегальной иммиграции — ДПНИ) is a Russian far-right anti-immigrant organization. ... Aleksandr Grigoryevich Lukashenko or Alyaksandar Ryhoravich Lukashenka (Belarusian: , Russian: ) (born August 30, 1954 at Kopys, Vitebsk voblast) has been the President of Belarus since 1994. ...

Polls

According to Levada center poll, Dmitri Medvedev and Sergei Ivanov remain the most popular from the possible candidates - they share first two positions, sometimes exchanging, with relatively 30-35% support. The most popular oppositional candidate, according to this poll, appears to be the communist leader Gennady Zuganov.^[4] All-Russia Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) Founding of VTsIOM Yuri Levada The founding and development of the agency was intertwined with the career of its founder, Yuri Levada-- the first professor to teach sociology at Moscow State University. ... Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (Russian: Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев; born September 14, 1965 in Leningrad), is a Russian politician and businessman. ... For other people known as Sergei Ivanov, see Ivanov. ... Gennady Zyuganov Gennady Andreyevich Zyuganov or Guennady Ziuganov (Russian: ) (born 26 June 1944) is a Russian politician, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (since 1993), Chairman of the Union of Communist Parties - Communist Party of the Soviet Union (UCP-CPSU) (since 2001), deputy of the State...

An opinion poll by the Yury Levada Analytical Center, published after Vladimir Putin announced he would head the electoral list of United Russia, showed a continued lead for Medvedev and Ivanov, with Viktor Zubkov receiving ratings of only four percent. [15] Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: ) (born October 7, 1952) is the current President of the Russian Federation. ... United Russia (Yedinaya Rossiya, Russian Единая Россия; the more correct translation is Unified Russia) is a political party in the Russian Federation which usually labels itself centrist. ... Viktor Alekseyevich Zubkov (Russian: ; b. ...

In popular culture

There are already many jokes about the coming elections. A selection of the most popular are:

[16]:

Vladimir Putin gives instructions to Vladimir Churov, the head of Central Election Commission of Russia: "Please prepare well for the elections. We need 100% of voter's participation. Remember: one hundred percent, not a single percent more!"

Vladimir Putin tells voters: "After these elections, a completely different person will lead the country." His assistant adds: "During the last eight years of the presidency Putin became a completely different person".

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: ) (born October 7, 1952) is the current President of the Russian Federation. ... Vladimir Yevgenyevich Churov (Russian: ; b. ... The Central Election Commission of Russia is the superior power body responsible for conducting federal elections and overseeing local elections in the Russian Federation founded in Spetember 1993. ... Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: ) (born October 7, 1952) is the current President of the Russian Federation. ...

References

The Moscow Times is an English-language daily newspaper published in Moscow, Russia since 1992. ... is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

Related Sites

• TrendLines Research International Election Projections Monthly Tracking chart of polling sentiment for the 7 leading contenders in next Russian Presidential election..

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