Translated material
Tsar and father
Russians have painted a portrait of Putin's ideal successor
The current president, Vladimir Putin, is quite successfully pursuing a course towards increasing Russia's role in the modern world and strengthening state institutions. And his successor should generally follow the same course, only be tougher on some issues. This opinion was expressed by the majority of Russians during a sociological survey conducted by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) in March.It turned out that the majority of respondents believe that the president is pursuing a policy of increasing Russia’s role in the world and strengthening its sovereignty—81% of respondents agree with this statement. At the same time, 74% believe that Vladimir Putin manages to simultaneously adhere to the line of rapprochement with Western countries. Also, the presidential course, according to 72% of Russians, involves establishing order and strengthening the rule of law, and 70% of respondents believe that the course is aimed at strengthening state institutions and the vertical of power. And at the same time - on the development of political democracy, the rights and freedoms of citizens (according to 65%).
65% of respondents believe that the current president’s course protects the interests of Russians, their national values and traditions. It turned out that Putin’s course also includes strengthening the position of the state in the economy and limiting the excess income of large companies and individual businessmen, which, however, does not exclude support for large private businesses and reducing state intervention in the economy.
At the same time, 21% of Russians answered sociologists that the president managed to achieve complete success in implementing his course. Half of the respondents (52%) believe that the president’s course is correct, but its implementation leaves much to be desired. 9% indicate that there is no success because the direction of movement itself has been chosen incorrectly.
The majority of Russians (74%) support the continuity of Vladimir Putin’s course after 2008. Among them, 47% believe that while maintaining the course vector as a whole, adjustments still need to be made to it. 18% of Russians are in favor of a significant change in policy, and among those who disapprove of the work of the current president - almost half (46%). However, even in this group of respondents, 36% of those who believe that Putin’s course after 2008 as a whole should be maintained, with only slight adjustments.
President of the Institute for Strategic Assessments Alexander Konovalov explained to Vremya Novostey the reasons for this desire for stability: “Russians are a patient nation. What many would consider humiliating is quite acceptable in our country, “as long as there is no war.” At the same time, the political field in the country has been so cleared and compacted that opponents are simply not visible. To want something else, you need to see it. The lack of choice for Russians is also the reason why they don’t want big changes.”
The respondents also described the adjustments that the future successor should make. According to 76% of Russians, the future president of Russia should pursue policies in the interests of the Russian people more strictly than Vladimir Putin. 76% of respondents also suggest a more consistent fight against the oligarchs and restoration of the role of the state in the economy. At the same time, 53% advise focusing less on cooperation with the United States and other Western countries.
Mr. Konovalov explains this rejection of the outside world as the result of state propaganda: “It is much easier to govern the people in such a situation. It is easier to explain that all the troubles are from external enemies than to admit one’s own economic failure. Although the authorities were already afraid of the unexpected success of the Rodina party among the population. She understands that a wave like Rodina can sweep away the current regime. The genies that are out of the bottle don’t want to go back into the bottle.”
Russians are also not inclined towards institutional reforms - 70% of those surveyed would prefer that Vladimir Putin’s successor continue to lead the country on a non-partisan basis and be “the president of all Russians.” And only 21% believe that a party president would be more effective. “This is a consequence of a colossal distrust of parties in general and a tendency to have just a good tsar in the country,” explained Alexander Konovalov. - Moreover, the distrust of parties is well-deserved. “United Russia,” to which the successor could belong, is a party of bureaucrats that has always been disliked in Russia.”