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Russians to prod Putin on poverty, personal life as ratings fall
MOSCOW, June 20, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Russians are set to ask President
Vladimir Putin about growing poverty at home and tensions abroad during an
annual televised phone-in Thursday, which comes following a fall in his
approval ratings.
The leader is also likely to face a degree of grilling on his personal
life, according to questions submitted by the public online ahead of the live
show.
Set to be held for the 17th time since Putin came to power in 1999, the
show starts at 0900 GMT and usually lasts several hours.
Ahead of the carefully choreographed show, more than one million questions
had been submitted, organisers told Russian news agencies.
Putin will this year respond to the nation as his personal ratings
struggle to recover following unpopular moves last year such as increasing
the state pension age and hiking VAT.
The programme sees the president swoop in to solve everyday problems of
Russians, often taking the time to call regional officials and upbraid them.
He sometimes gives veiled hints on his personal life, a topic of interest
to many since his divorce from his wife Lyudmila.
The president could face more critical questioning this year as he no
longer commands the soaring ratings prompted by the 2014 annexation of Crimea
from Ukraine, when up to 90 percent of Russians backed him.
Now two-thirds approve his policies, according to independent pollster
Levada.
“The main aim of the phone-in is to show that Vladimir Putin is the chief
defender of the interests of the people, that he’s the most humane president
and the last hope for justice,” political analyst Konstantin Kalachev told
AFP.
Kalachev added that Putin could turn a downbeat national mood to his
advantage.
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The president positions himself as “the person you can turn to when you
are totally desperate and this style impresses many Russians,” he said.
The show’s official website posts questions submitted by telephone or
online, with most concerning economic and social issues rather than political
ideas.
Many are about the low salaries in provincial areas, the shortage of state
kindergartens and rising household bills.
– ‘Are they taking the mickey?’ –
“How is it possible to live on monthly child benefit of 50 rubles for my
child? Are they taking the mickey out of us, or what?” asked one woman on
maternity leave.
As the country faces unprecedented Western sanctions over its actions in
Ukraine, “poverty has become a matter of shame for Russians,” the influential
head of Russia’s Audit Chamber Alexei Kudrin said in a recent televised
interview.
He estimated that 12 million out of the population of around 147 million
live in poverty.
That mood of discontent has spilled over in recent months with large
numbers of Russians protesting against local issues such as plans to build a
cathedral in a park in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, ultimately forcing
authorities and the Russian Orthodox Church to climb down.
As Russia’s relations with other global powers hit a post-Cold War low
over its policy on Ukraine, Syria and the long-running issue of electoral
meddling in the US, many citizens want to know if the worst is over.
One asks: “Do you expect improvement in relations with the US and the
European Union and what are you doing to achieve this?”
Russians have also submitted a variety of softer questions, such as
whether he has time to read and who his favourite writer is. “Why do you wear
your watch on your right wrist?” one asks.
“What’s it like being president? Is it hard or not?” another wants to
know.
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