“Who is she who’s the face of opposition or critic, approved by the Kremlin?”
TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak on October 18 announced that it will participate in the presidential elections in 2018. How foreign media reacted to the beginning of the presidential campaign of Ms. Sobchak — in the collection “b”.
Le Temps (Geneva, Switzerland)
Opposition leader Alexei Navalny should wait until 2028 before it will be able to nominate his candidacy in the elections, remarked dryly, the head of the Central election Commission, Ella Pamfilova. In the meantime, the Kremlin is looking for a replacement to give the presidential elections, in which, it seems, everything is decided in advance, a legitimate appearance. 1 September, “Vedomosti” reported that the presidential administration is looking for the female candidate, so she became an opponent of Vladimir Putin. The publication has named a few names from the ultra-conservative wing (the supporters of Putin) and one more glamorous — Ksenia Sobchak.
Becoming a leader in one of the independent channels, it gradually earned the status of an opposition journalist. But remember that she is the daughter of the former mayor of St. Petersburg Anatoly Sobchak, the man who launched the political career of Vladimir Putin. Her mother Lyudmila Narusova, a former Senator, which is in good relations with defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
In other words, Ksenia Sobchak is still on the short leg with the first persons, despite the fact that it is itself a liberal Democrat, radeyuschie for change.
The Guardian (London, UK)
In the Kremlin candidate Ksenia Sobchak, is likely to perceive as a way to give legitimacy to the boring election race, where the only challengers are the old parties of “controlled opposition” Communist Gennady Zyuganov and nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky, both of them longer represent any real opposition and widely support Putin’s policies.
Sources close to the presidential administration, told The Guardian this year that were serious conversations about how to give the opportunity to Bulk nominate his candidacy. In the end it was decided that the negative hype, which he will create, will make him an uncomfortable candidate, even if Putin still win.
The Daily Telegraph (London, UK)
The sincerity of the motives of her nomination was immediately met with skepticism. Candidates for the post of President in Russia has traditionally played the role of “sparring partners”, giving the elections the appearance of legitimacy without compromising their results. And the statement of Madam Sobchak immediately brought back the memory of the situation with the oligarch and owner of team Brooklyn Nets Mikhail Prokhorov, who created a symbolic opposition to Mr Putin in the 2012 election and got only 8% of the vote.