Paul
Goble
Staunton, October 7 – “The Kremlin
isn’t interested in the appearance of new regional leaders,” St. Petersburg
political analyst Mikhail Vinogradov says, because regional and republic heads
with a serious base of support could challenge Moscow and use that backing as
the basis of demands for compromise.
“A popular regional leader presents
too great risks for the existing system, Vinogradov says; and with its current
set of appointments, it has sent “a clear signal that governors should not work
for ‘popular affection’ but act exclusively in pursuit of ‘the Kremlin’s
sympathy’” (iarex.ru/articles/54594.html).
“A genuinely popular governor could
use his position for trade with the center,” he says, “and only one governor,
Ramzan Kadyrov [of Chechnya] is in a position to do that. The Kremlin simply
cannot allow a situation in which in each region there would be its own
analogue to Ramzan.”
That calculation rather than
anything else, Vinogradov suggests, explains why Vladimir Putin has chosen such
“faceless bureaucrats” for these positions.
Such people are unlikely to be able to develop a following; and of
course, if there is any sign that they are doing so, they can be replaced by
those who can’t.
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