Putin sets up a National Front political movement to consolidate hold on power
VOLGOGRAD, Russia — Russian Prime Minister has set up the Russian National Front (RNF) movement, a new political alliance, to boost the chances of his pet political project, United Russia Party, cementing its grips on the State Duma, the country’s lower chamber, in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The prime minister later followed up the initiative with a formal and an informal meetings with members of the new alliance's Coordination Council, comprising the top leadership of the ruling United Russia Party as well as a broad range of business, labor and civic leaders across the nation to discuss in details the new political venture, as well as the party’s plans for the State Duma election in December 2011.
The move to form the NPF, according to Putin, is aimed at broadening the party's existing electoral base with new members drawn from other public organizations that are currently unaffiliated with any of the existing political parties in the country, such as trade unions, NGOs, business associations, youth groups, etc. Consequently, top United Russia Party officials are now in discussions with the new political alliance’s potential members over the draft of the RNF’s charter declaration.
“The alliance is open to all Russians, who share all our values, ideas and phiolosophy on how to make Russia a more prosperous and great nation," he noted. “I suggest that we continue our consultations, exchange opinions and submit the RNF's draft declaration for discussion to all the organizations concerned so as to conclude this procedure as soon as possible,” he added. “This is very important because our party needs an inflow of new ideas, proposals and faces ahead of the December elections.”
However, most political experts and analysts have seen Putin's latest political move as an electoral strategy to boost the United Russia Party's flagging popularity, and thus stave off a potentially destructive poor performance in the State Duma election, which could potentially damage the ruling tandem’s huge chances of a largely expected landslide victory at the presidential election in 2012.
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