The Russians remember with a smile unfulfilled “horror of 2017”
Contrary to the predictions of opposition-minded experts in Russia last year was no economic collapse or revolution. But successfully earned the new “social elevators”, began the growth of the economy. And even the beginning of the presidential election campaign turned out to be brighter than expected by skeptics. What is still gloomy prophecies were scared of the Russians at the beginning of the 17th year?
The new year is a great occasion for fans and fatalistic pessimistic forecasts to come up with new prophecies about what troubles await the Russians. In the coming year, we are afraid of mostly economic collapse — from the new jump in the dollar before the collapse of Russian agriculture.
However, a year earlier gloomy forecasts range was wider: from international isolation to a new revolution by analogy with the events of October 1917. VZGLYAD reminds the main “horror stories” that sounded exactly a year ago. They never come true. And to start here is with the revolutionary presentiments.
Expectations of unrest was notable not only for lovers of numerology and the theory of the cyclical nature of history conducted a direct analogy between 1917 and 2017. A number of analysts also predicted Russian growth of mass protests. And as instigators of the protest activity was considered an opposition blogger Alexei Navalny.
“In the prospects of the Bulk in 2017, believed a very large number of people. It was believed that he came out of his fall after Crimea in 2014-2015, is “on the March” and is ready to shake the whole community, satisfied with “new year 2011” — said Professor at the Higher school of Economics Oleg Matveychev.
New Lenin from the Bulk out
But in the end the Bulk of the Russians and shook. In March, his rallies gathered a few thousand people (like in Moscow and in the regions), for example, 24 Dec on street protest in the capital, which the opposition considers its support, there had been only 300 people.
“He’s lost his potential, says Matveychev. — High he had in April, after which all went to minus, no matter how he tried to radicalize their shares, but interest could not return”.
“Navalny started the year in such rank of the leader of the youth. And even had on this field some success. Still on his street protests in March and July came from one and a half thousand young people and more,” — said political analyst Vladimir Kireev, “Reedus”. “Now, on the contrary. Mass support pieces Bulk every month melts. It was not registered as a candidate, and those who like him would support, almost zero response. Where the crowd unhappy with the building of the CEC? Where large-scale Internet campaign unhappy? Nothing. Only some lonely posts in social networks with calls to boycott the upcoming elections and 500 people at the building of the CEC,” — he stressed.
Bulk not just failed to attract a serious audience, and become a consolidated leader of the protest, what he clearly wanted. But with other members of the opposition had, on the contrary, there are more contradictions. It is significantly marginalized his own figure, transformed from a political figure into a “blogger shkolota”. The reason Navalny and his team failed to go beyond hackneyed slogans, presented interesting domestic political agenda. In the end, even his fans at the end of the year has criticized the opposition submitted the program, indicating its detachment from reality.
Grudinin, Sobchak and Gordon revived the race
Among those experts who did not expect revolutionary upheaval, many were confident in the failure of the election campaigns in Russia — the day of voting in September and have just launched the presidential. As its outcome a foregone conclusion, they said, reduced the interest of the voters and consequently the turnout. However, even opposition-minded politicians recognized regional and municipal elections are fair.
They were cleaner than ever, has been acknowledged by participants and observers. This is also indirectly supported by a good level of turnout (for example, in Mordovia, the turnout amounted to 55.62% in most other regions -35−37 percent, the lowest it has been is that in Moscow — 14.8%).
The results showed a high percentage of support for a cohort of new managers — acting governors recently appointed by the President.
“The fact that in Russia the low turnout in the elections, became almost axiomatic. But is it really? We say all the time that exemplary democratic society is the United States — perhaps the turnout they have there must be very high? Let’s see. Take for example the recent gubernatorial elections in the United States. SC — 43 percent, Oklahoma 41, Louisiana — 40, TX — 34. In new York, and worse — 33 percent in Kentucky — 30 finally, in Idaho 26. This is much lower than the average turnout in the gubernatorial elections in Russia,” — said Matveychev.
The presidential race also looks boring. The list of participants of the election took many by surprise. Only two members of the 2012 election showed up at the next election — it is Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Bold and fresh, and extremely resonant was the nomination of a TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak. Not far behind her and a human rights activist Catherine Gordon, also expressed a desire to run. Potentially interesting it may be part of the business Ombudsman Boris Titov. Surprise the voters have spoken and the Communist party, proposing the candidature of one of the most successful agricultural producers of Russia Pavel Grudinina.