Russia's fourth President Vladimir Putin plans over six years to make the country comfortable for businesses and life. Being the second president of Russia, Vladimir Putin fulfilled only one-third of his plans.
Vladimir Putin assumed the RF president's office on May 7 and right away signed 11 decrees, specifying the targets and priorities of his new presidential term. By and large, they repeat the promises given by Putin in his election campaign articles, but contain the timeframe of the plans' fulfilment, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained.
The fulfilment of the promises will cost the federal budget additional annual spending worth 1.5 percent of the country's GDP, Putin said. However, according to the Finance Ministry's estimates - 2 percent of GDP, and according to the Centre for Macroeconomic Research of Sberbank - 5.1 trillion roubles in the 2012-2018 period.
The decrees can be divided into three blocks: the social (decrees on the state social policy, housing and public utilities sector, healthcare, education and science, demography, interethnic accord, public administration); economic (on the long-term state economic policy) and the military (on the improvement of the military service, military industrial sector and the foreign policy course).
The social policy remains the priority of the first term of Putin's presidency. By 2018 it is planned to increase life expectancy in the country from the current 69 to 74 years and the real wages - 1.4-1.5 times. In 2012, the average monthly wages of teachers is to increase to the region's average level, and wages of the teaching staff of higher educational establishments and doctors in six years will exceed this level two times. These two measures alone will cost the federal budget 3.5 trillion roubles, according to the estimates of the Centre for Macroeconomic Research.
Appointments in Government, Presidential Administration Signed
Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev have demonstrated that the opposition protests have not marred their holidays and have not changed their plans. The personnel decrees were signed, but have not been made public so far.
Both Putin and Medvedev at the May 7 inauguration looked happy and cheerful, and the ceremony of the transfer of authority itself was conducted even on a larger scale than four years ago. Invited to the inauguration were 2,500 people, 500 more than in 2008. A bird's eye panorama of Putin's motorcade passage from the White House to the Kremlin was broadcasted, unlike in 2008, during the whole route. Many invited guests who were awaiting the ceremony noted that against the background of protests and the dispersal of the rallies’ participants the movement of the motorcade along empty streets looked not very advantageously for the new president. However, for Putin it was important to pass by the Christ the Saviour Cathedral, one of the event’s organisers said.
The tough disruption of rallies marred rather not Putin’s holiday, but the last day of Medvedev’s presidency, believes political analyst Yevgeny Minchenko.
On the same day, 13 Putin’s decrees were made public. However, according to a source close to the Kremlin, Putin signed much more documents – about 20 concerning personnel alone, linked with the leadership of the presidential administration and the security block. The main block of decisions on the government is expected to appear on Monday, May 14, and the decrees on the presidential administration may appear even earlier, believes the Kremlin official.
Compliments from Mahatma
It has been very hard luck on the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow this year. The gloomy shadow of conflicts between the authorities and citizens was cast on its events. The first in many years tough clashes of the rally participants and the OMON riot police took place during the ‘March of Millions’ that resulted in the use of irritant gas and beating of protesters with batons. There were actually provokers and radicals in the opposition column who wanted more action. However, the actions of the authorities that violated the agreed upon plan of blocking streets along the procession route and at the meeting place were also a provocation - the more so the mass beating of peaceful citizens.
After that the opposition supporters during three days were walking on boulevards without conflicting with the police, dispersing and then gathering again in one place. OMON policemen were chasing them, blocking traffic from time to time and detaining the people. On May 7, the motorcade of the new old President Putin drove along the absolutely empty Moscow central streets, creating the impression that the authorities needed the prolonged holidays exclusively for ridding the RF capital of citizens who left for their dachas. On May 9, central Moscow was practically blocked – first for the military parade and then for a cycle race, but factually also for the continuation of the fight against the “walking protest.” People were detained for strolling, singing and even for being in a street caf·.
VEDOMOSTI