MOSCOW, May 6. /TASS/. A high level of trust Russians have in President Vladimir Putin stems from unique historical conditions and can be regarded as a resource for the country’s development, a Russian political analyst said on Wednesday.
"This is an issue of that unique period and this is a big resource for development of the country," said Konstantin Kostin, the former Kremlin deputy head of domestic policy who now heads the Foundation for the Development of Civil Society, a Moscow think-tank.
Putin’s unchallenged leadership in the political arena can be attributed to "the unique historical circumstances under which he came to power and was running the country", Kostin told journalists.
He said in the history of Western democracies there were precedents of what these days some political analysts call "Putin’s majority", noting coalitions formed by supporters of various parties around remarkable leaders such as French President Charles de Gaulle, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.
"We should mention the specificity of Russia’s democracy and Putin’s role in developing that democracy. I believe that the influence and importance Putin has for the Russian political system can be compared with the political leaders of those countries then," Kostin said.
According to Russia's Public Opinion Foundation (FOM), public trust in Putin’s work hit another record high of 85% in April.