Lukashenko's Nine Lives - By Ludmila Krytynskaia | Foreign Policy

Lukashenko's Nine Lives - By Ludmila Krytynskaia | Foreign Policy

PM Thaci Declares Victory in Kosovo Election

Results

Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has declared victory in the parliamentary polls, which took place on December, 12th. With official results not yet in, exit polls show that the prime minister's Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, won 31 per cent of the vote, while the country's second largest party, the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, came in second with 25 per cent. If Thaci's party is declared the winner, he will still need to find coalition partners in order to form a government. The exit poll, conducted by the Gani Bobi Centre in Kosovo, also showed that nationalist Albin Kurti and his Vetevendosje party garnered 17 per cent of the vote, while the party of former Kosovo Liberation Army commander Ramush Haradinaj won 12 per cent. Democracy in Action, a coalition of Kosovo NGOs, published preliminary results this morning that generally mirrored the Gani Bobi exit poll. The data from their 5,000 election monitors, covering 51.8 per cent of the polling stations in the country, show that the PDK garnered 30.69 per cent of the vote, followed by the LDK with 26.2. Coming in third with 12.28 per cent is Vetevendosje, while Haradinaj's Alliance for the future of Kosovo took fourth place with 10.89 per cent of the vote, Democracy in Action data show.

Parties

Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK

The PDK is Kosovo’s largest political party and currently leads the government, with party leader Hashim Thaci the incumbent Prime Minister. The party was founded on May 14, 1999, from the political wing of the Kosovo Liberation Army. It was first named the Party for the Democratic Progress of Kosovo, but in May 21, 2000, changed to the Democratic Party of Kosovo. PDK’s Bajram Rexhepi was Kosovo’s first post-war prime minister, after the party secured second place in the 2001 elections and formed a coalition with the LDK, Democratic League of Kosovo. The PDK again came second in the 2004 elections but this time did not form a coalition. In the November 2007 poll the party came to power with the largest share of the votes with 37 seats. Hashim Thaci, the former political leader of the KLA, then formed a government with the second-place LDK, which had been weakened by the creation of a splinter party, the Democratic League of Dardania, LDD. Although the PDK originally had Socialist tendencies, including agreements with the Labour Party in the UK, it now sees its policies as firmly on the centre right. It’s heartland is the Drenica region of central Kosovo, but it has municipalities throughout the country, including the city of Prizren. In the November 2009 local elections, the PDK again secured the highest number of votes. The PDK, and particularly its leader Thaci, has had a rocky relationship with the other party to have emerged from the ranks of the KLA, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo led by Ramush Haradinaj. Thaci and the party have come under sustained pressure from the international community in 2010 to clean up politics in Kosovo. One of its most powerful and popular members, the current Minister of Transport Fatmir Limaj, is currently under investigation by the EU rule of law mission, EULEX, over his ministry’s handling of road tenders. He has denied all wrong doing. The PDK’s 2007 coalition with the LDK began to fracture following the 2009 elections and collapsed in October 2010, sparking the December 12 snap poll.

Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK

The LDK is Kosovo’s oldest party, and currently the second-largest. It was the junior partner in the PDK-led coalition government. In response to the removal of Kosovo’s autonomy in 1989 by Slobodan Milosevic, the Democratic League of Kosovo was formed by a group of intellectuals headed by Ibrahim Rugova, seen as the pacifist leader of Kosovo’s struggle for independence. During the 1990s, the party, which was banned by the Yugoslavian authorities, led the Kosovo Albanian parallel structures, successful calling for boycotts of the census by ethnic Albanians and organising a referendum on self-determination in 1992, in which 87 per cent of the Albanian population in Kosovo voted for independence. The party has played a part in every post-war government, winning the 2001 and 2004 elections. Rugova was Kosovo’s president from 2002 to 2006, until he died of lung cancer. After the death of this figure of Kosovo’s peaceful struggle for independence, the battle for the leadership of the party led to a split, with the formation of the Democratic League of Dardania, LDD, led by then-speaker of parliament Nexhat Daci. In the November 2007 elections, the party came second, securing 27 seats, to the Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, and formed a coalition government. Its leader, Fatmir Sejdiu, was also president of the country until the constitutional court ruled in September 2010 that he could not hold both positions. He then resigned as President, while retaining the position of the LDK’s head in the run-up to internal party elections in late November. Relations with the PDK had been strained during the local elections in November 2009, particularly over the bitter campaign for the mayoralty of Pristina and the formation of local-level coalitions between the LDK and other parties, but the parties continued to work together in government until Sejdiu shocked the political scene by cancelling the coalition in October 2010, which in turn led to parliament being dissolved. During this time, the LDK was facing internal problems as potential successors to Sejdiu jostled for positions. Former LDK health minister and prime minister in exile Bujar Bukoshi sided with the late Rugova’s son, Uke, who has recently entered politics, to take over the party but instead ended up forming a splinter group which is running alongside the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK, in the December elections. The popular mayor of Pristina, Isa Mustafa, instead emerged as the leader following the internal elections. The LDK are expected to remain the country's second largest party. Its policies are broadly centre-right.

Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK

The AAK was formed in 2000 by former KLA commander Ramush Haradinaj. Following the 2004 election, the third place AAK formed a government coalition with the LDK, and Haradinaj became prime minister in December that year. His time leading the country, however, was short lived as he resigned from the position in March 2005 after learning that he had been indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, for war crimes. In his absence Agim Ceku assumed the position. He was acquitted by the tribunal in April 2008 and returned to a hero’s welcome in Kosovo and resumed his duties as president of the party, although he is not a member of parliament as he could not stand in the November 2007 elections. The party gained the fourth-highest number of votes and has 11 seats in parliament. The AAK’s support base is in the west of the country, from where Haradinaj hails, and it has been largely unsuccessful in carving out new strongholds outside of this area. Despite this, Haradinaj was widely seen as the main alternative to Hashim Thaci for prime minister of the country. In the 2009 local elections, the AAK made the biggest gains of any political parties in terms of overall votes in the mayoral and assembly poll, although this translated into only one extra mayor for the party. In July 2010, the ICTY ruled that Haradinaj should face a retrial, which has deprived the AAK of their charismatic leader for the election campaign, although he remains the party’s top candidate on the ballot. The AAK has been boosted by the inclusion of the LDK faction, including Rugova’s son, on their candidate list. Ideologically, the AAK is centre-right.

New Kosovo Alliance, AKR

Formed in March 2006 by millionaire businessman Behgjet Pacolli, the AKR had an immediate impact on the political scene by taking 12 per cent of votes in the November 2007 elections, pushing the AAK into fourth place. It has 11 deputies in the assembly. Pacolli is considered by some to be the richest ethnic Albanian. He made his wealth through the Swiss-based building firm Mabetex, which has secured a number of major contracts in Russia and Kazakhstan. Its early electoral success, however, was not repeated in the local polls of November 2009, when it formed an alliance with the Democratic League of Dardania, LDD. Its municipal assembly result fell from 11.55 per cent to 8.3 per cent compared to the 2007 elections. The election did, however, see the emergence of a popular new figure in the party, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, who came close to causing an upset in the traditionally AAK municipality of Gjakova. She has been proposed as their candidate for prime minister. In line with its business roots, the party is centre-right with a strong emphasis on a free market economy. For the December poll, the AKR has aligned itself to an extraordinary range of small parties, including the Green Party of Kosovo, Justice Party and Social Democratic Party of former Prime Minister Agim Ceku. It is seen as a potential coalition partner for the PDK if Thaci’s party remain the largest after the vote.

Democratic League of Dardania, LDD

LDD was created in 2007 following disagreements over who should lead the LDK in the wake of President Rugova’s death. It was established by the former Speaker of the Assembly, Nexhat Daci, following his unsuccessful bid to become leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo. Ideoligically, however, it has not departed from its LDK, centre-right roots.

Independent Liberal Party, SLS

The Independent Liberal Party was formed in 2006, securing five seats in the national assembly in the 2007 elections, making it the largest party representing Serbs in Kosovo. The SLS is part of the PDK-led government coalition and has two ministers in the cabinet. Led by Slobodan Petrovic, the party secured the mayoralty in three municipalities in the November 2009 local elections: the Serb-majority areas of Gracanica, Strpce and Kllokot. Although the party does not recognise Kosovo’s independence, it aims to ‘protect the interests of the Serb communities in Kosovo-Metohija’.

Levizja Vetevendosje

The grassroots protest movement has turned political party for the December election. Self-determination has built up a strong network of activists across the country in its previous guise, campaigning against the international supervision of Kosovo. It is well-known for its imaginative and sometimes witty protests and graffiti, but has also been widely criticised on a number of occasions for damaging EULEX vehicles. Albin Kurti, the enfant terrible of Kosovo’s political scene, remains, however, very popular and garnered huge support when he faced trial over his involvement in a 2007 protests, during which two of his supporters were killed by UN police. It is one of only a few parties to have published a programme for the elections, which includes unification with Albania, removal of the Ahtisaari package and a more left-wing approach to economics.

Fryma a Re, FER

Fryma e Re, which roughly translates as ‘New Spirit’, emerged from Kosovo’s civil society only in October 2010. The party embraces liberal-democratic ideals and has been supported by its British sister party. Its members include a range of young, Western-educated business, academic and civil society leaders, and it stands out from other parties for its inclusion of well-known women in its central organisation and its comprehensive programme. Party president Shpend Ahmeti studied at Harvard and has worked for the World Bank before leading a public policy thinktank, GAP, in Kosovo. His team includes Ilir Deda, former director of the research institute KIPRED, renowned businesswoman Linda Shala and Mitrovica-based civil society activist Valdete Idrizi. FER is emphasising anti-corruption and technical expertise in its campaign, and its priorities include sustainable economic development, health and education. Given its clean slate, it could be a potential coalition partner for many of the bigger parties, but it has refused to be drawn in public on which parties it would countenance joining a coalition with.

Source: Kosovo Election 2010 - Balkan Insight

De Standaard - Partij eerste minister Thaci wint Kosovaarse verkiezingen

De Standaard - Partij eerste minister Thaci wint Kosovaarse verkiezingen

Medvedev and Berlusconi discuss bilateral relations in Krasnaya Polyana

On 3 December, President Medvedev and his Italian counterpart had a meeting in Krasnaya Polyana. It is their seventh meeting in this format, which the two leaders consider a success. The meeting resulted in 7 multilateral agreements including ones on cooperation in modernization, economy, migration and defense.

Just on the eve of the consultations in Sochi, Dmitry Medvedev and Silvio Berlusconi met at the OSCE summit in Astana and before that at the Russia-NATO summit in Lisbon. They both have similar opinions of those summits: the OSCE potential is not being used to the full and, as for NATO, its policy has changed in recent year. Berlusconi believes that recognizing Russia as an important strategic partner is a great step forward which has put an end to the Cold War. And Dmitry Medvedev is convinced that cooperation with the North-Atlantic alliance can be more active, especially in the issue of anti-missile defence.

Russia and Italy have a task of reaching the pre-crisis level of turnover. Apart from that, Russia is interested in the leading EU countries taking part in the modernization of the Russian economy, Dmitry Medvedev said.

Россия заинтересована в том, чтобы ведущие страны Евросоюза принимали участие в модернизации российской экономики. Нам нужны и технологии, и навыки, и кадровая поддержка. И в этом смысле, конечно, мы рассчитываем на то, что такого рода отношения будут развиваться и с Италией.

Russian-Italian agreements have been concluded about bilateral partnership in modernization and about cooperation in the development of small and medium-size businesses. As Silvio Berlusconi pointed out after the agreements were signed, many Italian companies are willing to work in the Russian market and Russian business is already widely represented in Italy. Rome is open for further development of partnership, the Italian prime minister stressed.

Besides that Moscow and Rome have signed an agreement about transit of military cargoes and personnel through Russian territory to Kabul.

At the end of the meeting, Silvio Berlusconi congratulated Dmitry Medvedev on the victory of the Russian bid to host the world football championship. He did not fail to mention his personal role. In Berlusconi’s words, Italy gave its vote for Russia and also convinced some other European friends of the advantages of the Russian bid.

Source: Kremlin.ru, The Voice of Russia

WK 2018 in Rusland

Rusland, dat nooit eerder een WK organiseerde, mag het WK van 2018 organiseren maar heeft volgens De Morgen nog veel werk voor de boeg om het WK binnen acht jaar georganiseerd te krijgen, maar in een land waar de gas- en petroleumroebels de laatste jaren de plak zwaaien, moet ook de organisatie van een WK mogelijk zijn. Een politieke keuze zo wordt in de wandelgangen van de FIFA gefluisterd.

Het dossier dat de Russen indienden was immers niet echt waterdicht. Op het vlak van infrastructuur kon het land nauwelijks garanties voorleggen. De meeste stadions moeten nog gebouwd worden en het land kampt met grote problemen op het vlak van transport en accommodaties. De luchthavens zijn verouderd en dat kan in het uitgestrekte land voor logistieke problemen zorgen. Rusland speelde daar echter handig op in door alle kandidaatspeelsteden uit het 'Europese' gedeelte van het land te kiezen. Enkel Ekaterinburg ligt ten oosten van de Oeral en ietwat afgescheiden van de rest van de speelsteden.

Maar de Russische autoriteiten en vooral eerste minister Vladimir Poetin schaarden zich achter de Russische kandidatuur en de bonzen van de Russische politieke wereld konden de FIFA dan toch overtuigen zodat Rusland voor het eerst in de geschiedenis het WK mag organiseren.

"Jullie hebben ons het WK 2018 toevertrouwd en jullie zullen daar geen spijt van krijgen", klonk het meteen na de bekendmaking vanuit de Russische clan. "Laat ons samen geschiedenis schrijven." Premier Poetin: "Dit is een teken van vertrouwen. We zullen al onze mogelijkheden aanwenden om een sterk toernooi te organiseren." Het WK van 2014 wordt in Brazilië afgewerkt.

Bron: De Morgen

Russian President delivers annual public address

This year, Russia’s economic growth will reach around four per cent, Dmitry Medvedev told the Federal Assembly during the annual public address, which traditionally outlines Russia's goals and achievements. Medvedev pointed out some other of Russia’s victories: unemployment has been reduced by two million people since the peak of the crisis, and the sovereign debt is minimal. The president underlined the country’s need for more medium and small businesses, which, he said, will provide badly-needed jobs. To secure their growth, the government has adopted a lower tax rate of 26 per cent for medium and small businesses. Attaining economic growth of 40 per cent by 2020 is quite a realistic goal for Russia, Medvedev said, and much has already been done.

“We have achieved a lot, but this is just the beginning. The resources we have should be used to modernize our economy, to create new, competitive goods and services, and millions of jobs. We need to shape the demand for innovation. I have commissioned the government to use at least half of the saved resources and additional resources to support the priorities of our modernization,” Medvedev said.

However the ultimate goal of modernization, he pointed out, is to raise the quality of life of Russia’s people, especially the younger generation. Medvedev underlined that social responsibility lies at the heart of the country’s policy. He praised Russia’s improving demographic situation: since 2005, the birth rate in Russia has grown by 21 per cent. However to keep the situation from worsening again, considerable governmental support is required, he said. This includes a wide variety of measures, from availability of better medical services for mothers and children and further development of the maternity capital program to state support for infertility treatment programs the and modernization of children’s clinics.

“26 million Russian children should be able to develop properly. They should grow up happy and they should become worthy citizens of Russia. This should become our goal number one. Taking care of the future generations is the smartest kind of investment. A society that truly protects the rights of children and respects children’s dignity is not just the kindest society, it is the best-developing society,” Medvedev said.

Medvedev preached the necessity of supporting families with children, such as tax benefits, direct financial help and better childcare facilities. ­Fred Weir of the Christian Science Monitor says it is striking how much of Medvedev’s speech was dedicated to children, youth and the demographic situation, and how long the president’s to-do list in this respect was. “He spent almost half of that address talking about children and youth, and he kept returning, even when he went into other subjects, even when he talked about international policy, he was returning to the youth theme. We can see that motif that he gave, that we should not pass on a Russia to our children that we are ashamed of. That’s his theme,” Weir said. ­The Russian leader also touched upon the problem of corruption. He said that the current penal code does not stop officials from taking bribes and the current sanctions in the form of imprisonment do not scare bribe-takers. Medvedev suggested that commercial bribery, and also the giving and taking of bribes, must be punished by fines in the amount of up to one hundred times the amount of the bribe. However political analyst Alexey Pushkov says it is not the legislation that is not sufficient to defeat corruption; it is the way this legislation is implemented. “What is most important when you fight corruption is that the laws are being not just proclaimed, but implemented,” he said. “It can be a fine, it can be jail, it can be five years, it can be 15 years. The most important thing is that people who take bribes know that they will suffer. In Russia we have enough laws to fight corruption. The problem is that the laws are not being implemented. People are covering people. Very high-placed people are covering other high-placed people, and so the system is very much corrupt. So my personal opinion is, you have to enforce the existing laws.” ­ The president also elaborated on the issue of a joint missile defense system with Europe.

“In the next decade, we have the following alternative – either we reach an agreement on missile defense and create a full-blown mechanism for co-operation; or, if we fail to have a constructive agreement, a new stage of the arms race will start and we will have to make a decision on creating new strike forces,” he said.

“What Medvedev said today is actually an invitation to continue talks, which they started at the Russia-NATO summit in Lisbon last week, because if NATO continues with its own missile shield, then inevitably Russia will need to consider other options – I do not believe in [an] arms race, but there will be again a reshaping of the confrontation of the past,” Fyodor Lukyanov, editor in chief of the magazine Russia in Global Affairs, told RT. Dmitry Babich, political analyst from the RIA Novosti news agency, says that Medvedev, in this statement, has just reiterated the idea that he expressed at the Russia-NATO summit last week. “The main problem is how Russia is going to be viewed by NATO. If it is going to be viewed as a serious partner in building that entire missile defense that would cover all of Eurasia, then there is no point for another arms race. Medvedev made it very clear just a few days ago at the Lisbon summit that he does not want the formal participation of Russia in that project. “We are not going to be part of the furniture”, as he [Medvedev] said,” Babich told RT.

However defense projects are not all there is to foreign relations, Medvedev noted. “We need to step up economic diplomacy. It should provide specific results for modernization. Our foreign policy should not be just based on missiles; it should be specific achievements that are understandable to our people, creating joint ventures in Russia, producing high-quality inexpensive goods, facilitating the visa regime. Such a pragmatic approach meets with understanding from our foreign partners.”

Anton Bespalov, a journalist from the Voice of Russia radio station, thinks that it is the economic crisis that prompts Medvedev to focus more on international relations: ties with EU, NATO and the United States. “In the past year, Russia realized the need to improve its relationship with the West – the European Union in particular,” he said. “The reason why these relations are improving is in fact the global economic crisis, which helped both sides to more realistically assess their capabilities. Russia and the European Union are probably needing each other more than ever.”

Igor Zevelev, head of the MacArthur Foundation’s Moscow office, added that partnership with Asian countries, especially with China is very important for Russia as well. “The emphasis in this part of the address was on so-called economic diplomacy. I think it will be interesting for Asian partners, particularly for China. Russia’s appeal to them is to do what they have started with Europe – namely, partnership for modernization,” he stressed.

Sergey Brilev, a journalist and TV host, points out that Medvedev’s attention to the opinions expressed by politically-motivated people on the Internet is quite wise. “Typically, 80 per cent of the letters people send to the president are about social security, medical care, central heating and that sort of thing. But there’s always this five per cent dedicated to political liberties and freedom, and President Medvedev, because he is a modern guy – let me use this definition – pays quite a lot attention to this five per cent. They do not form public opinion in this country, but they matter. They are educated people who actually think. And in any kind of political system…politically motivated, educated people do play a role,” he said.

The joint Russia-NATO ABM defense shield was proposed even earlier at the NATO summit in Lisbon, Sergey Strokan from Russia's Kommersant Publishing House noted, but the steps that would lead to such a deal have yet to be taken. The sides must agree on many practical issues such as threats and challenges, specify the roles of the parties in the future system, make a deal on financing the system – all these points are still far from consensus. The European joint ‘all-embracing security system’ could be created ‘within a period of ten years, maybe less’ believes Strokan. As for the joint Eurasian economic space, Sergey Strokan believes Russia’s relationship with powerful Asian regional blocks like ASEAN is still lagging behind, while political and economic co-operation with such regional blocks is crucial for development of Russia’s vast territories beyond the Urals.

source: RT.com

Third summit in the history of the NATO-Russia Council (NRC)

The third summit in the history of the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) took place in Lisbon on 20 November 2010. At the end of this historic gathering, President Dmitri Medvedev of Russia and his counterparts from the other 28 NRC member states issued a joint statement.

In this statement, NRC leaders pledged to “work towards achieving a true strategic and modernised partnership based on the principles of reciprocal confidence, transparency, and predictability, with the aim of contributing to the creation of a common space of peace, security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.” The NRC Heads of State and Government took a number of important decisions.

First, they endorsed the first ever Joint Review of 21st Century Common Security Challenges, outlining shared views of Russia and Allies on key security questions and ways to address them through practical cooperation.

Second, they agreed on a joint ballistic missile threat assessment and decided to resume Theatre Missile Defence Cooperation. Moreover, they tasked a development of a comprehensive Joint Analysis of the future framework for broader missile defence cooperation. This work will be assessed at the June 2011 meeting of NRC Defence Ministers.

Third, participants reconfirmed a shared determination to assist in the stabilisation of Afghanistan and the whole region. In this context, they welcomed broadened transit arrangements through Russian territory for non-lethal ISAF goods, moved to expand the counter-narcotics training and decided to task a development of an NRC Helicopter Maintenance Trust Fund in 2011.

Other issues discussed included NRC cooperation on counter-terrorism, and the fight against piracy. Summing up the NRC summit, Mr Rasmussen said:

“We have agreed, together, on which security challenges NATO nations and Russia actually face today. What’s most significant is what’s not on the list: each other. The NATO nations and Russia have, today, agreed, in writing, that while we face many security challenges, we pose no threat to each other. That, alone, draws a clear line between the past and the future of NATO-Russia relations.”

Check also: Strategic Concept and the NATO-Russia Council Joint Statement at the meeting of the NATO-Russia Council held in Lisbon on 20 November 2010

Source: NATO.int

Medvedev gebruikt veto tegen wet die vrijheid van betogen beperkt

Russische president Dmitri Medvedev heeft zijn veto gesteld tegen een nieuwe, door het parlement goedgekeurde wet die de vrijheid van betogen aan banden zou leggen. Het besluit van Medvedev is door oppositie en mensenrechtenverenigingen op applaus onthaald.

De goedkeuring van het wetsontwerp door de volksafvaardiging, waarin de pro-Kremlinpartijen een ruime meerderheid hebben, was bij de oppositie op zware kritiek gebotst. In de Doema zwaait Verenigd Rusland, de partij van premier Vladimir Poetin, de scepter.

De wet was op 22 oktober goedgekeurd door de Doema en op 27 oktober door de Federatieraad. Om in werking te treden was enkel nog de presidentiële handtekening nodig. Maar in een brief aan de voorzitters van beide kamers, Boris Gryzlov en Sergej Mironov, liet Medvedev weten dat hij 'de wet verwerpt'.

Volgens de president 'bevat de wet een aantal bepalingen die indruisen tegen door de grondwet gegarandeerde rechten zoals het recht op vergadering, op betogen, op staking'. 'Het houden van betogingen is een van de meest doeltreffende manieren om de activiteiten van de Staat en de plaatselijke overheden te beïnvloeden', aldus Medvedev.

bron: De Standaard

Progress in Kosovo allows for adaptation of KFOR presence

NATO has decided to adjust the KFOR presence in Kosovo. Over the next few months, KFOR will progressively reduce its presence to around 5,000 troops in total, marking one more step in the adaptation of KFOR to a deterrent presence.

The security conditions in Kosovo continue to improve, which is a positive sign not only for Kosovo, but for the whole region. Local institutions are increasingly capable of assuming responsibility for security tasks.

KFOR will remain able to deploy forces quickly and effectively whenever and wherever necessary, including with robust reserves. KFOR’s mission to guarantee a safe and secure environment in Kosovo remains unchanged.

source: NATO

Last days mayor of Moscow

The powerful mayor of Moscow, Yurij Luzhkov, has departed "on holidays" amid a smear campaign the likes of which the city has not seen since the 19990s.

Some weeks ago, the state-controlled television showed a series of documentaries alleging that Luzhkov is corrupt and abusing his power.

Julia Ioffe (FP, 17 Sep. 2010) describes the situation as follows: Yurij Luzkov is the only mayor Moscow has ever really known in the post-Soviet period, a figure whose control extends into every corner of the city's life. He is Moscow's boss, which is precisely the problem: There can only be one boss in Moscow, and his name is Vladimir Putin.

And here's the other side of that problem: Luzhkov has been in charge since before Vladimir Vladimirovich even thought of going into politics, and well before he got to Moscow. Luzhkov, on the other hand, has been helping run the city since the Soviet era. He started off as the reformist head of the Moscow city council during the perestroika years, and was appointed mayor by then President Boris Yeltsin in June 1992. But as Luzhkov brought the chaotic capital to order after the collapse of the Soviet Union, he was also put in charge of privatizing huge swaths of Moscow property -- making his real-estate developer wife (and former city council assistant 27 years his junior), Elena Baturina, Russia's wealthiest woman in the process.

Yet, as long as Luzhkov supported Putin politically, he could keep his seat. President Dmitriy Medveded, however, has been pushing Luzhkov into retirement since the beginning of his term.

Luzhkov is the final remaining "heavyweight" regional leader who has survived in power since the 1990s. Yet, according Julia Ioffe, the Kremlin cannot simply fire Luzhkov as the Luzhkov machine, woven together not only by money but by family times, is still alive and well, and the state needs it on its side. Making an enemy of Luzhkov and his army would be a disaster, especially when it comes time to vote next fall.

With the mayor now “on holidays” in Austria, some Russian analysts suspect that he and his wife might not return to Moscow, choosing a comfortable life in exile over potential court proceedings in Russia.

To be continued..