After his constitutional amendments .. Will Putin achieve what Stalin failed to do?

Safwan Gulak - Al Jazeera Net

Observers wondered what they described as the shuttle movement that Russia witnessed recently, which started with the sudden visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the State Duma, and his "approval" of a proposal to "zero" the presidential mandates, with the consent of the Constitutional Court and the people's vote, so that he "in theory" could remain in power Until 2036.

"Practically, with calm and easy," things are heading towards that already, according to analysts who confirmed that after the approval of the majority, the national parliaments supported these amendments, and the Russian Federation (Senate) Council approved them, and so did the Russian Constitutional Court yesterday, and Putin achieved a period of judgment that he was unable to achieve. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

Putin - who has repeatedly stated asceticism in government - has agreed to accept the "difficult task", to create the official media in Russia broad spaces of support and justification for experts, officials, supporters of Putin and the ruling party, centered on the importance of a strong and stable presidency, which strengthens Russia's sovereignty and international presence.

Political activist Anatoly Popov says that Putin must complete the reforms that he has restored to the world Russia’s weight as a global power, and its continued survival in power today guarantees Russia’s stability in the face of the crises in the world, and the indications of many wars.

Popov does not consider Putin to be the only person capable of guaranteeing "greatness" for Russia, but he believes it is the "best option", especially since he has been able to activate the state’s organs, guarantee their interests, and coordinate work with them and among them in harmony.

The pursuit of eternity
In contrast, the opposition rejects these amendments, and considers that Putin (67 years) paves the way for immortality that no one has preceded him, even after 2036 if he remains alive.

Media writer Samer Elias believes that Putin today creates in Russia a "Putinian approach to government", relying on absolute loyalty in the state institutions, which enables him to remain a ruler with wide powers, and an indispensable figure to achieve a balance between the branches of power.

He notes that Putin surprised the Russian opposition twice, the first when he presented in mid-January the idea of ​​constitutional amendments and established a committee to collect proposals, and the second when he clearly revealed the true goals of these amendments, without giving the dispersed opposition an opportunity to think about the response, with approaching The date for the vote is scheduled for next April 22, and the authorities ’decision to prevent rallies to combat the Corona outbreak.

As for political analyst Titiana Stanovaya, she believes that Putin is not a strategist, but when it comes to his personal convictions, he is stubborn and self-confident, seeking to create a new order, who is at his head as a leader that transcends all.

Keep the opponents out
To achieve this, writer Andrei Pertsev sees that Putin recently started "transit measures" toward his new regime, making government amendments, which overthrew even some of his associates, mixing cards and dispersing ideas.

This prompted political analyst Alexander Bonov to say that it is now possible to understand Medvedev’s resignation as prime minister as a completion of his successor’s preparation, adding that recent government changes prevented Putin's potential opponents (both in power and the opposition) from interfering in the delicate process of transferring power, rather To arrange their affairs for themselves as quickly as possible, in front of the local and international community.

Some opponents refer to this case of "rivalry" with Putin - so to speak - to the implications of the strained Russian relations with Turkey because of Syria, and with Saudi Arabia and Belarus because of the oil market and prices, and its significant impact on the Russian economy, and with the West due to the crisis of neighboring Ukraine, in addition to a crisis Global finance looms on the back of conflict and the spread of the Corona epidemic.

Accordingly, some see the Russian scene from the point of view of a definitive transformation into a totalitarian regime, in which everything will matter to Putin, and no matter to his opponents, whose presence will be threatened.

Media writer Samer Elias likens the Russian scene to his Syrian counterpart, and considers that the absolute power, repression and prison terms for many years against opponents and recent demonstrators, steps on the path to imposing a totalitarian regime in Russia, criminalizing the practice of opposition political action, and creates a vacuum that can only be filled by - the eyes of the Russians - Putin's regime.