Details of the life and career of state leaders have always been and remain the subject of heightened interest of citizens. The Russian president was no exception: the Internet is full of questions, opinions, arguments about how Putin came to power. Really, how?
From history
The official biography of the Russian president is well known, but let us remind you of something. On the eve of the new year, 2000, in connection with the early resignation of the first president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, Putin, the then head of the government of the Russian Federation, is appointed acting head of state. According to the results of the 2000 elections, Putin is already the legitimate president of Russia, and in 2004 he is re-elected for a second term. In May 2008, Dmitry Medvedev, the former head of Putin's administration, is elected head of state. Vladimir Putin wins the 2012 presidential election again. The current title of the main Russian leader is the second and fourth president of the Russian Federation. And those who are interested in what year Putin came to power should remember all three dates.
How to become presidents
Of course, the population is more interested in information that does not apply toofficialdom. Sometimes the question is even formulated like this: “Who brought Putin to power?” But before discussing this, let's think: how do people become heads of state?
If we take, for example, the country of an established democracy, the United States, then the struggle for leadership here is, in fact, between two competing parties: Republicans and Democrats. The leader of the victorious becomes the American president. This is a competition not so much of party programs as of life attitudes. Democrats are more concerned about the rights of the individual and the social support of the population, but such a policy of fawning often leads to a weakening of the state. Republicans are more statist, their programs are usually not populist, and not everyone likes this. Both parties are leading almost by turns; such turnover can only be explained by fluctuations in civic sentiment, as well as new requests and needs in society. That is, in a democracy, it is precisely the leader whose program settings are most desired and in demand by the people that wins.
Let's return to our question: "How did Putin come to power?" Probably, the details of his career and appointment are not always on the surface, and they are not easy to explain. But the very fact of his nationwide election as president in 2000 speaks of the desire of the population to have just such a head of state. It must be admitted that the first president of Russia, Yeltsin, considerably weakened his country, and society desired a stronger leader.
On some features of Russian voting
Wishto choose the best is characteristic of any nation. True, in Russia and in other countries of the post-Soviet space, an interesting feature is observed: the electorate votes not so much "for" as "against".
What does this mean? The population, choosing this or that candidate, does not deceive itself at all about him. Voters see the shortcomings of their chosen one, but what remains to be done? The others are even worse!
Let's remember the candidates for the presidential elections in Russia in 2012. There were 5 registered: Zhirinovsky, Mironov, Zyuganov, Prokhorov, Putin. The coming to power of the latter in this case is quite natural. The country does not like oligarchs, the hour of the communists has long passed. Mironov lacks experience and charisma, and Zhirinovsky is generally perceived by many as a comedian. Putin turned out to be clearly preferable to his rivals!
Why is there no real choice, why do you have to choose the lesser of two evils? That's another question.
About talk and rumors
The road that V. Putin went upstairs cannot be called standard. A boy from a simple family, a regular KGB officer, who only in 1991 took his first civilian position, in less than 10 years he turned into the head of a huge state. Naturally, this gave rise to many rumors about the mechanisms that brought him to the very top steps, about Putin's patrons (the late oligarch Boris Berezovsky was named among them). Trying to explain how Putin came to power, the KOB (Concept of Public Security, a political movement) begins to reason at allabout the global conspiracy. How to deal with these rumors? Just like any other - do not take into account.
The secrets of the political kitchen (not only in Russia, in any country) are not completely understood by ordinary mortals. Sometimes, over the years, some kind of rumor finds confirmation, but more often, researchers of famous biographies simply get confused in the flow of conflicting information. But is it really that important to know about every step of Putin's road to the presidency? Isn't it more correct to judge the leaders of a state by what they do for their country?
About Putin's activities
Putin's activities as head of state cannot be called unambiguous. The very personality of the Russian president causes considerable controversy, and any of his actions is subjected, on the one hand, to full approval, on the other, to fierce criticism. It doesn’t even matter what it is about - everything will have its opponents and supporters. One credits Putin with the strengthening of power, the other accuses him of strangling democracy. Someone praises Putin for ending the war in Chechnya, someone scolds that they are feeding the Caucasus. One approves of Putin's war on corruption, the other considers the Russian president the main corrupt official. Someone condemns Putin for an aggressive foreign policy, someone, on the contrary, is proud of this policy.
What can I say! Unless you remember again how Putin came to power. At the time of his arrival, Russia, to put it mildly, was not in the best shape. Shortly before his election, Putin published a program article, where he presented his vision of thetasks. Among them was the strengthening of state power, the consolidation of society, the fight against poverty, and the increase in the efficiency of the economy. He solved at least some of these tasks: Russia is known in the world.
Conclusion
Both opponents and supporters of the Russian president should be reminded of one thing. In the last elections of 2012, Putin not only won - he, according to official figures, snatched victory in the first round, gaining more than 63% of the vote. Russia, of course, can hardly be called the most democratic power, and there are many complaints about the electoral system. But 63%! Such a result cannot be faked even in the most totalitarian society!
The Russian president really enjoys the support of his fellow citizens, his rating is constantly growing. So to the question of how Putin came to power, only one answer can be given: he was elected by the people. You can't argue with facts!
