Oh, Russia, Russia, Russia. This country never seems to surprise me, yet, at the same time, I'll never be able to predict what they'll come up with next. Yesterday's "democratic election" resulted in the expected win of Vice Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev. Of course, Russian news only touted the fairness and viablility of these democratic elections, while the CNN, BBC, and just about any other Western news channel available in Moscow was being scrambled during the evening news hour (at least in my dorm they were!). No one knows quite what to expect from the new President Medvedev, except for maybe, much of the same. There are a few experts who feel that things in Russian politics will change dramatically even over the course of the next six months, but to be honest, I have my doubts that it will happen, and if so, that quickly.
Anyhow, I was sitting here at my internship today, making critical remarks to Hot Tamale as I read about the election from different media sources and look outside to see that a celebratory concert has been assembled outside on Pushkin Square, despite the wet snow and cold. About 100 youth have gathered, all waving not Russian flags, but United Russia flags, to celebrate Medvedev's victory. United Russia, is of course, just as good as any Russian flag nowadays, as they dominate every influencial position in the Russian government (and look almost the same! Could use imagine one of the US political parties using the US flag as their banner? Imagine "US Democratic Party" emblazened across a US flag...). Nevermind that many of them are either getting paid to party in the cold weather or were excused from school to be there.
This reminded me of last night's celebratory "Election Concert" held on Red Square. At 9pm, 13 hours before the official announcement of the winner of the election by the Central Elections Commission, a concert was held on Red Square, during which Putin made a "surprise visit" to congratulate Medvedev. The two both wore black leather jackets and jeans, and really, the pair looked more like MTV vj's than now President and Vice Prime Minister, soon-to-be Prime Minister and President. (I love the tag-teaming going on.) Of course the candidates from the Communist and Liberal Democratic parties both voiced complaints that all of this took place before the official announcement, but we all know that it didn't really matter anyways. A celebration Monday night would have thrown off the work week and holiday schedule, with International Womens' Day this Friday and the subsequent national/religious holiday (Maslinitsa) over the weekend. Putin and Medvedev certainly couldn't have overshadowed the world's women or an Easter holiday now, could they?
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