Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: Владимир Владимирович Путин) (born October 7, 1952) is the president of the Russian Federation since New Year's Eve of 1999, the day Boris Yeltsin resigned from the presidency. Putin was later elected as president by approximately 52.94% of the Russian electorate on March 26, 2000. He is mainly backed by the 'United Russia' (Единая Россия) party, which currently holds a majority in the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, known as the Duma. The Party usually reflects the political views of Putin, which are that of moderate conservatism and nationalism. The next major political party in Russia is the 'Communist Party' (which Putin is antagonistic towards) which still holds influence but the 'Bolshevik' Party (being the old Communist Party) is banned.
Putin was born in Leningrad on October 7, 1952. He was educated in law and economics at Leningrad State University before being assigned to work in the KGB. After five years in East Germany, he took up various political positions before becoming prime minister in 1999. He has been elected president for two terms, 2000 and 2004.
Putin is seen generally as an antagonist in the West; his presidency has become increasingly authoritarian and it is uncertain whether he will stand down when his term runs out for the last time in 2008. Putin has been described as a dictator by many critics. For example, on April 14, 2007, Russian riot police beat a number of protesters and journalists at an anti-Putin rally at Pushkin Square in Moscow. [1] Despite these political trends, Putin remains popular in Russia[2]. Since coming to power, Putin has expanded Russia's economy and reduced inflation. [3] The majority of Russians are relatively uninterested in politics outside of issues affecting their personal prosperity. [4] and journalist Anna Politkovskaya argued that the Russian people, as a whole, have been willing to tolerate violence in the name of "comfort and peace and quiet". [5] (Politkovskaya, an outspoken critic of Putin, was assassinated in 2006 [6], and it is widely believed that the Russian government had some involvement in this death.)
He is married to Lyudmila Putina since July 28, 1983 (former airline stewardess). They have two daughters.
See also
References
- ↑ The Economist, April 21, 2007
- ↑ http://www.levada.ru/prezident.html Putin's Approval Ratings
- ↑ Time Magazine, February 26, 2007
- ↑ The Economist, April 21, 2007
- ↑ Politkovskaya, Anna. Putin's Russia. London: Harvill Press, 2004
- ↑ http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article1819666.ece
