Putin's, Medvedev's first 100 days show tandem is viable - analysts
MOSCOW. Aug 15 (Interfax) - The first 100 days of Vladimir Putin's tenure as president and Dmitry Medvedev's as prime minister demonstrated that the re-formatted tandem is viable, especially in critical situations, political analysts say.
"The roles have been re-distributed within the tandem, of course, and the situation, where many saw Putin as the Number One figure, while formally Medvedev was, has disappeared. Concerning interaction, no serious signs of setbacks are visible in their interaction. The tandem usually acts in a concerted manner, at least in critical situations," Polity Foundation President and lawmaker Vyacheslav Nikonov told Interfax.
The reformatting of the tandem means that both Putin and Medvedev are confident in its efficiency, he said. "Both Putin and Medvedev are interested in mutual support: two can do much more than one. At certain moments Medvedev does the work Putin could have done. For instance, Medvedev attended the recent G8 summit and Putin remained behind. Their relations have been harmonious thus far," he said.
Even the film The Lost Day, recently shown online about the events in South Ossetia in 2008, did not manage to mar the harmonious relations, the analyst said.
"I hear some took the film as an attempt to drive a wedge between Putin and Medvedev. Perhaps that was so. It is difficult to say where this is coming from," he said.
The film showed ex-General Staff chief Yury Baluyevsky claiming that the decision to launch the peace enforcement operation was made too late, which led to more fatalities. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev argued, however, that the decision to launch a counter strike was made just in time. "All the decisions made, were made precisely when they should have been made," he told reporters in Tskhinvali on August 8, 2012.
There are episodes in the film that can be interpreted as rather critical signals to the current prime minister, said political analyst Gleb Pavlovsky.
"This film could have been initiated by someone in Putin's entourage, whom Medvedev irritates as prime minister. Some may interpret this film as a reaction to Medvedev's reminders of his presidential plans at the end of Putin's current term. I think, however, that this context is petty and insignificant," Pavlovsky told Interfax.
The first 100 days demonstrated that Putin has certain problems in dealing with his entourage. "The paradox of Putin's current position is that that the appetites of different groups in his entourage are so different, that it is not difficult for him to pose as a moderate leader. Many of his associates expect him to make more radical moves than he is prepared to," Pavlovsky said.
"For instance, a wave of activity in the clergy, who want to play a political role, has given rise to a number of conflicts. This cannot be welcomed by Putin, who is not prepared to move in this direction. Nor is he prepared to clamp down reprisals on the opposition as people close to him are demanding, or to go too far in imposing government control over the economy," the expert said.
The situation is dual, and on the one hand can be considered a problem, but on the other a factor of Putin's strength, he said.
"All keep appealing to Putin in search for moderate solutions and for explanations about what will happen tomorrow. The current situation of a political pause, where the system of authority looks extremely unstable, is very inconvenient for many elites and businesses. Everyone needs an authority that would explain exactly what is going on, and what the rules of the game are now and will be tomorrow. Putin is the only person who can do this and this is an additional resource of his stability," Pavlovsky said.
The instability of the current system is being worsened by the "inactive Medvedev government which, on the one hand, is filled up to the brim with excellent experts, but on the other, these experts' hands seem to be tied," he said.