Putin’s Policy Hit-and-Run

Putin’s Grab for Several Percentage Points Unlikely to Succeed, Say Analysts By Andrew Roth Russia Profile 01/17/2012 Prime Minister Vladimir Putin put forth the most comprehensive political platform of his presidential bid in an article he released in the Russian daily Izvestia on Monday. While rehashing familiar rhetoric about stability in Russia and the possibility of a collapse during his early days in office, Putin also squarely set his gaze on middle class voters, tens of thousands of whom protested against vote fraud this December. But experts doubt that Putin’s article, released in a pro-Kremlin newspaper, would sway many protest voters, and current polls indicate a humiliating runoff vote for president this March. http://russiaprofile.org/politics/52857.html