Putin was returned to the presidency with a commanding 64% of the votes, while Ahmadinejad suffered a setback in the parliamentary elections in Iran, a preliminary for next years presidential elections.
Putin won handsomely in the regions, in the rural areas and in the Caucasus, in the Urals, in Siberia but not in Moscow and St.Petersburg, where the young and middle class who benefitted the most from Russia oil and gas riches under Putin's stable tenure, voted against him. His margin of victory over the Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov was 46%. There is no doubt the he made full use of the state resources eg. television and other media to gain an edge over his rivals, but even though there are claims of fraud, by the opposition, it would not have mattered, because a majority did vote for him. This majority ( long neglected), in the regions where he is still a hero and where he is seen as the only one capable of building and leading a strong Russia and able to deal with the corruption and to make Russia string and respected again (he will be helped considerably by the Iranian situation which has seen the price and demand for oil and gas rise rapidly) and very importantly make sure that the neglected regions get their fair share of the revenues from "their"resources.
Putin is here to stay and that means until 2024. Internally and especially externally (missile defence, Syria, Iran and european expansion), expect Putin to be tough and nationalistic.
Ahmadinejad has been weakened and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has tightened his grip on power. His loyalists won more than 75% of the seats, much at the expense of Ahmadinejad. He is a lame duck president and has been taught a lesson for being seen as daring to challenge the authority of Khamenei. It does not mean that there will be a change in foreign policy or the nuclear programme. Khamenei is on record as saying that Islam does not tolerate nuclear weapons. The inscrutable Ayatollah is also devious. What he means is not clear, and may have been a counter to Ahmadinejad's nuclear posturings. The population is hurtuing from the embargo and an appeal to Iranian nationalism is there for him to use, should need arise to arouse passions. This can be dangerous in these times of "war talk", especially by Netanyahu of Israel, who leads a very tentative coalition government.
Two men who started as the hope of the people. One has returned in glory and the other is fading into oblivion.
Putin won handsomely in the regions, in the rural areas and in the Caucasus, in the Urals, in Siberia but not in Moscow and St.Petersburg, where the young and middle class who benefitted the most from Russia oil and gas riches under Putin's stable tenure, voted against him. His margin of victory over the Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov was 46%. There is no doubt the he made full use of the state resources eg. television and other media to gain an edge over his rivals, but even though there are claims of fraud, by the opposition, it would not have mattered, because a majority did vote for him. This majority ( long neglected), in the regions where he is still a hero and where he is seen as the only one capable of building and leading a strong Russia and able to deal with the corruption and to make Russia string and respected again (he will be helped considerably by the Iranian situation which has seen the price and demand for oil and gas rise rapidly) and very importantly make sure that the neglected regions get their fair share of the revenues from "their"resources.
Putin is here to stay and that means until 2024. Internally and especially externally (missile defence, Syria, Iran and european expansion), expect Putin to be tough and nationalistic.
Ahmadinejad has been weakened and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has tightened his grip on power. His loyalists won more than 75% of the seats, much at the expense of Ahmadinejad. He is a lame duck president and has been taught a lesson for being seen as daring to challenge the authority of Khamenei. It does not mean that there will be a change in foreign policy or the nuclear programme. Khamenei is on record as saying that Islam does not tolerate nuclear weapons. The inscrutable Ayatollah is also devious. What he means is not clear, and may have been a counter to Ahmadinejad's nuclear posturings. The population is hurtuing from the embargo and an appeal to Iranian nationalism is there for him to use, should need arise to arouse passions. This can be dangerous in these times of "war talk", especially by Netanyahu of Israel, who leads a very tentative coalition government.
Two men who started as the hope of the people. One has returned in glory and the other is fading into oblivion.
