2013 in Russian politics will start with the first two important initiatives of Vladimir Putin, after irresolute fire-fighting in 2012, aimed at taking reasoned steps towards preserving his power in the longer term. The purpose of one of these is to seal a new deal with the elite, thus ensuring that infightings won’t affect the President himself. The other is the upcoming drafting of a new electoral law that will thoroughly revamp the present system. In a study longer and more exhaustive than the usual blog entries, I will try to take a closer look at this latter development.

“Closing holes on the horn of plenty” – study (pdf) can be downloaded here.

My next blog entry will deal with the new contract between Putin and the elite.