MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Dmitry Shusharin) – The most remarkable thing about today’s online conference by Dmitry Medvedev, one of the main presidential candidates, is not its content as the fact that it was held at all.
Medvedev is in charge of "national projects," four key areas of social and economic development -- healthcare, agriculture, education and housing -- where Russia is focusing its resources, and from the very start all questions were expected to revolve around them.
But commentators have concentrated on his status of a potential successor to Vladimir Putin. It does not matter that President Putin has said there will be candidates rather than successors or that a successor does not have a legal status. The conference is still being viewed primarily in the context of the race between two competing deputy prime ministers – Dmitry Medvedev and Sergei Ivanov.
Dmitry Medvedev had an excellent start in the New Year. He sharply increased his rating with a brilliant performance in Davos. Meanwhile, his rival Sergei Ivanov was promoted to First Deputy Prime Minister and got rid of the troublesome and PR risky post of Defense Minister. Ivanov now controls not only the military-industrial complex but also innovations in the Russian economy.
It would seem Medvedev’s online conference should pale into insignificance when compared with such a promotion. But this is not so. Commentators have compared this event with Putin’s recent conference.
In other words, Medvedev continues to appear in public in the same role of a presidential candidate as he did in Davos. Needless to say, the public character of this event is relative – his answers to specific issues were too well thought-out, while general questions were not even asked. This is all understandable and is not worth commenting on. It is ironic, however, that Medvedev has been using the latest communication technologies, of which Ivanov is now in charge.
Will this help him score more points? This is an idle and pointless question because we do not know who keeps the score, what goals the rivals pursue, and why this race has been launched. Is it real at all, or is it only an imitation?
It may be an imitation but both first deputy prime ministers are real. It seems that they have chosen different ways of communicating with the public. Now everyone will wonder about Ivanov’s possible response. Nobody doubts that he will respond since the race – sooner in information than in politics – dictates its own laws. So, let’s wait and see.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.
