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| Russia |
| Putin begins second term |
| 2004-05-08 |
| Vladimir V. Putin inaugurated his second term as president on Friday with a pledge to give Russians "a real, tangible increase in their prosperity" and to nurture political and social freedoms that his critics say he has gradually eroded. "Only free people in a free country can be genuinely successful," Mr. Putin said in a brief speech at the Kremlin after taking the oath of office, his right hand on a red-bound copy of the Russian Constitution. "This is the foundation for economic growth and political stability in Russia." The ceremony marking the start of Mr. Putin's final four years as president — barring a constitutional change that he has said he opposes — took place in the gilded grandeur of St. Andrew Hall in the Grand Kremlin Palace, where Russia's last czars once sat on the throne. It was only Russia's third presidential inauguration since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and it very much reflected the character of its second president. While formal and lavish, the ceremony lacked pomp, festivity and, seemingly, much emotion from the man who dominates politics here. In artfully choreographed coverage broadcast on state television, Mr. Putin strode, alone and unsmiling, along seemingly endless red carpets lined with 1,700 political, social and religious leaders who stood throughout the oath and his address. There was no glad-handing, no cheering — only polite applause that he acknowledged at least twice by saying "thank you" as he approached the dais where he took the oath. "The last four years were not easy years for us all," he said somberly, but he went on to say that Russia had succeeded in preserving its territorial integrity — an indirect reference to the separatist struggle in Chechnya, still simmering and deadly — and in laying the foundation for economic growth. Mr. Putin, 51, won re-election on March 14 with 71 percent of the vote. The election underscored his enormous popularity but also drew criticism from international observers who said that state control of television and the use of government resources on his behalf fell short of basic democratic standards. As he did in remarks on Thursday, Mr. Putin said Russia needed to develop a pluralistic political system, even though his Kremlin has orchestrated a constitutional majority in the Parliament led by the party defined almost entirely by its fealty to Mr. Putin, United Russia. Since his re-election, Mr. Putin has vowed to restructure and trim the government and with it the bureaucracy and corruption that strangle economic and social life. He has reorganized his cabinet and government ministries, but has so far instituted few major policy changes and offered no new proposals in Friday's speech. When he finished, fewer than 10 minutes after he started, he retraced his walk through the glittering halls and emerged in Cathedral Square as the last echoes of a 30-gun salute resonated in the city's center. He reviewed a short parade of goose-stepping soldiers of the Kremlin's honor guard — a tableau that intertwined symbols of church and military in a still evolving Russia. It was all over in 30 minutes. After a private visit to one of the Kremlin's churches, Mr. Putin returned to work, accepting the resignation of his new prime minister, Mikhail Y. Fradkov, and the rest of the government that he appointed on the eve of his re-election in March. It was a legal formality, since Mr. Putin immediately renominated Mr. Fradkov. Later, Mr. Putin joined a smaller group of political and business leaders for an evening event that a Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, said should not be called a party. Referring to the galas that surround American inaugurations, he said, "We do not have such things here." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #4 At least, Vlad the Muslim Impaler isn't owned by the House of Saud, like the Oil-Patch thief in the White House. High gas prices? Blame Bush! Hey greatestJENeration: If a slug who never earned an honest dollar in his alcohol sotted, rich kid life, is your hero, then who is your hero #2? Charles Manson? And I see that you can't take silicone jokes. What a whimpette! |
| Posted by: Man Bites Dog TROLL 2004-05-08 10:52:34 AM |
| #3 Troll Sucks Dog - Onanist extraordinaire. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-05-08 11:04:17 AM |
| #2 [Troll droppings deleted] |
| Posted by: Man Bites Dog TROLL 2004-05-08 10:52:34 AM |
| #1 In artfully choreographed coverage broadcast on state television, Mr. Putin strode, alone and unsmiling, along seemingly endless red carpets lined with 1,700 political, social and religious leaders who stood throughout the oath and his address Second only to the English in this artform. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-05-08 7:04:34 AM |