Stratford57
Diamond Member
Sobchak thought she asked Putin an "inconvenient" question but Putin answered it just brilliantly.
Kseniya Sobchak: Yes, Mr Putin.
Vladimir Putin: Are you against everyone present or everyone in general?
Kseniya Sobchak: No, I am for Russians and against power never changing hands. I have a question about competition.
Vladimir Putin: I knew it.
Kseniya Sobchak: I have a question about competition in this election. As you may know, I am also going to run for President of Russia. I have come here as a journalist from Dozhd TV channel, because, at the moment, this is the only chance to ask you a question, because you do not participate in debates.
Vladimir Putin: Please.
Kseniya Sobchak: My question is related to the competitiveness of the election. Your press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, has already said that there is no opposition today; you have said today that you cannot nurture rivals, there are no people.
I think that everyone is quite ready and there is no need to nurture anyone. The problem is that today opposition candidates are not allowed to take part in elections, or they run into problems. I can feel it myself.
For example, there is a candidate, Alexei Navalny, who has been campaigning for over a year now. Fake criminal cases were begun against him. Alexei Navalny proved that they are fake at the European Court. You know that the Russian Federation recognises rulings of the European Court. Nevertheless, he is not allowed to stand in the election, although it is known that the Constitutional Court has a special opinion on this issue and so on.
The same goes for my activities since my announcement. It is very difficult to rent a hall in Russia, and people refuse to cooperate, even on a commercial basis. It is difficult to deliver any advertising materials. All of it is simply connected with fear. People understand that to be an opposition member in Russia means that you will either get killed, or go to jail, or something like that.
My question is: why is this happening? Is the government afraid of honest competition?
Vladimir Putin: As for competition and whether we have a capable opposition, I have already answered in enough detail. The message was not that anyone is not mature enough, but that the opposition must emerge with a clear, understandable programme of positive action.
Suppose your slogan is “Against everyone.” Is this a positive action programme? What are you proposing to resolve the problems we are discussing today? (Applause.)
A question about Ukraine was already asked. Do you want dozens of people like Saakashvili running around here? Those you named are a Russian version of Saakashvilis. Do you want such Saakashvilis to destabilise your country? Do you want us to live from one Maidan to the next? To survive attempted coups? We have been through this already. Do you want all this to return? I am sure that the absolute, overwhelming majority of Russian citizens does not want this and will not allow this. (Applause.)
There certainly should be competition, and there will be competition of course – the only question is radicalism. Look what happened to the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United States. Where is it now? The thing is, it was comprised of people like Saakashvili or those you named. Where are they now? Nobody knows.
I assure you that the government has never been afraid and is not afraid of anyone. But the government should not be watching the state turn into a muddy puddle where oligarchs fish out goldfish for themselves, like it was in the 1990s or in Ukraine today. Do we want a replica of today's Ukraine in Russia? No, we do not want it and will not allow it.
Vladimir Putin’s annual news conference
^full conference, Kremlin site
Kseniya Sobchak: Yes, Mr Putin.
Vladimir Putin: Are you against everyone present or everyone in general?
Kseniya Sobchak: No, I am for Russians and against power never changing hands. I have a question about competition.
Vladimir Putin: I knew it.
Kseniya Sobchak: I have a question about competition in this election. As you may know, I am also going to run for President of Russia. I have come here as a journalist from Dozhd TV channel, because, at the moment, this is the only chance to ask you a question, because you do not participate in debates.
Vladimir Putin: Please.
Kseniya Sobchak: My question is related to the competitiveness of the election. Your press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, has already said that there is no opposition today; you have said today that you cannot nurture rivals, there are no people.
I think that everyone is quite ready and there is no need to nurture anyone. The problem is that today opposition candidates are not allowed to take part in elections, or they run into problems. I can feel it myself.
For example, there is a candidate, Alexei Navalny, who has been campaigning for over a year now. Fake criminal cases were begun against him. Alexei Navalny proved that they are fake at the European Court. You know that the Russian Federation recognises rulings of the European Court. Nevertheless, he is not allowed to stand in the election, although it is known that the Constitutional Court has a special opinion on this issue and so on.
The same goes for my activities since my announcement. It is very difficult to rent a hall in Russia, and people refuse to cooperate, even on a commercial basis. It is difficult to deliver any advertising materials. All of it is simply connected with fear. People understand that to be an opposition member in Russia means that you will either get killed, or go to jail, or something like that.
My question is: why is this happening? Is the government afraid of honest competition?
Vladimir Putin: As for competition and whether we have a capable opposition, I have already answered in enough detail. The message was not that anyone is not mature enough, but that the opposition must emerge with a clear, understandable programme of positive action.
Suppose your slogan is “Against everyone.” Is this a positive action programme? What are you proposing to resolve the problems we are discussing today? (Applause.)
A question about Ukraine was already asked. Do you want dozens of people like Saakashvili running around here? Those you named are a Russian version of Saakashvilis. Do you want such Saakashvilis to destabilise your country? Do you want us to live from one Maidan to the next? To survive attempted coups? We have been through this already. Do you want all this to return? I am sure that the absolute, overwhelming majority of Russian citizens does not want this and will not allow this. (Applause.)
There certainly should be competition, and there will be competition of course – the only question is radicalism. Look what happened to the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United States. Where is it now? The thing is, it was comprised of people like Saakashvili or those you named. Where are they now? Nobody knows.
I assure you that the government has never been afraid and is not afraid of anyone. But the government should not be watching the state turn into a muddy puddle where oligarchs fish out goldfish for themselves, like it was in the 1990s or in Ukraine today. Do we want a replica of today's Ukraine in Russia? No, we do not want it and will not allow it.
Vladimir Putin’s annual news conference
^full conference, Kremlin site