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MOSCOW, Dec 29: President Vladimir Putin, without a serious rival and buoyed by a huge parliament majority, urged Russia’s newly elected lawmakers on Monday to back his policies aimed at speeding economic growth and lifting living standards.
After horse-trading, Putin’s main backers — the United Russia bloc — secured two-thirds of the 450 seats in the lower house to give him a majority to change the constitution if he wants to stand for a third term.
Putin, 51, has already said he does not want either a third term or to change the constitution.
But with Putin loyalists now massively outgunning the communist opposition in the State Duma he has a rock-solid powerbase to rely on should he change his mind in future.
Addressing the Duma, Putin repeated his priorities were to speed up economic growth — he has set a target of doubling gross domestic product over 10 years — and reform Russia’s crumbling social infrastructure.
“Above all, we must concentrate our attention on issues linked to the quality of life... I’m talking here about continuing to reshape the system of education, health care, housing and the legal base,” he said.
Putin has announced he will stand for a second four-year term in the Kremlin in elections on March 14.
His high ratings have blown traditional rivals out of the water and several have pulled out of the contest altogether.
HORSE-TRADING: United Russia and two nationalist parties backing Putin won heavily in the parliamentary election on December 7.
But it was only after political horse-trading on Monday in the first session of the newly elected Duma that the full scale of his election victory became clear.
Several deputies who had stood as independents registered under the United Russia banner, giving the bloc a total of 300 seats.
The outcome gave Putin a solid powerbase from which to exercise more power and authority with which to push through policies and reforms.
Putin reminded legislators of their responsibility for reforming Russia’s economy, which is heavily dependent on oil production.
“Economic progress in Russia, the growth of real democracy and the living standards of our citizens will depend on you to a great degree,” he said.
He said growth depended on developing the financial, tax and banking system and strengthening the rights of ownership.
Putin maintained his usual deadpan delivery and did not refer to the absence of the liberal opposition that was virtually wiped out in the December 7 elections.
Earlier this month he said he regretted the disappearance from the Duma of the small liberal parties. Much of the expertise for pushing through vital reform legislation has come from these parties.—Reuters
