There took place a Presidential election in Russia last March 14, 2004. As before, Putin became the president again. The official press reported that he received 71% of the votes cast. The presidential candidate from the CPRF Kharitonov received 14%. Others candidates, some put there as only stooges and traitors, received less than 1-5 % of the votes.

What does this election mean? The victory of Putin, if one is to look more closely at its results is not that great at all. If we combine those that refused to vote – about 36% of those who refused to come and vote, and add to those the voters who "voted against all" the candidates, this shows that Putin received less that 50% of the votes. This was in spite of tremendous propaganda, millions of dollars spent. It was sickening to watch the TV screens before the election! There was an endless 24 TV programs that only showed PUTIN, PUTIN, PUTIN – Figaro here, Figaro there and Figaro everywhere! The other candidates were relegated to one minute at the end. Putin did not speak or debate or presented any polemics with the other candidates. Other candidates had only 30 seconds to appeal to voters themselves.

Putin refused to discuss, debate or appear on TV program with the other candidates. Of course the results could have been predicted after such a "democratic" election.

After the "reforms" initiated by Yeltsin and Gorbachev and the rise of gas and oil going up 3 times, Putin was able to pay back to the people their pensions, the back pay that was owned to people for months and years. The state started to accumulate gold reserves, enough to pay off loans to WB and IMF. These results were unfortunately seen by the un-informed electorate as the "brain child of young, energetic Putin" and thus promoted by internal and external enemies of the Soviet people. We must also admit, as we stated in NSC before, that Putin and his Western masters are much smarter than was Yeltsin, as an actor and very well versed in political games

He and his handlers in their subtle propaganda tried to distance Putin from the image of Yeltsin and his policies and in no way to be confused with Yeltsin’s – but in effect, they are the same policies but in a new dressed costume. No hint was given that Putin absolved Yeltsin of any crimes or stealing billions from the state coffers!

With the help of the TV and media, and with a highly paid New York Advertising Agency as his helper in promoting him as a benevolent "state ruler" image and his "tactics" to even criticize and "jail" some of the rich oligarchs, which went well with the people that Putin is fighting "crooks, crime and embezzlers"! Clever as this "promotion" of Putin is, he cannot hide the fact that already in Russia there are 25 billionaires – in 3^rd place in the world where there are billionaires. Putin will always be for private ownership of the means of production, no matter how his Ad Agency and the internal bourgeoisie promotes him as the "man of the people."

A month before the election, Putin announced that there shall be raises in pay and in pensions. This of course influenced the people. But the fact that the rise in costs for food, rent, clothing, transport is being hiked up, the people will feel that after the election.

Due to lack of positive opposition on the left, the Putin state machinery was able to get into their hands practically the whole of the State Duma, which is now the servant of the present regime, instead of any opposition. This is the result of the CPRF revisionist leadership policies which helped Putin and his regime to achieve this.

The cooperation and helping hand by the CPRF leadership helped Putin to achieve this "victory".

Questions are being asked as to why did the CPRF urged its membership and agitated them to take the party into this election? If the CPRF and its followers boycotted the election, this election would have been declared null and void. Putin would not have received the 50% barrier needed to become law. People should be taught that this gimmick of raising wages and pensions before the election was nothing more than a "carrot and the stick."

The question of the revenues from the sake of oil and gas will not bring prosperity to the Russian people. There is another bully on the street- US imperialism - that will take unto his fold all the gas and oil production, including those in ex-USSR. What happens then, when the economic catastrophe comes into full bloom?

Putin proved that he will keep on going with the "liberal reforms" and defend the "democratic institutions". But the Russian society is based on exploitation in the most terrible forms of profit at all costs. The working day is becoming as norm a 12 hours per day, while the payment for wages sometimes goes into 4-6 months of waiting. And this is in Moscow, where the building is going on with cheap labour and workers unions are not allowed.

This so-called stabilization is only temporary and will undermine this Czar’s Throne unto which Putin has placed himself for the second time.

How will the electorate in Russia vote in four years time? There was a time when the voters were also voting for Yeltsin. But they awoke soon enough and the same thing will happen with Putin if not sooner, judging by the political situation in the world. This will depend upon the tactics and unity of the communists in the future. Will some of the communists still support again the illusion of parliamentary elections or will they start in earnest to organize for the overthrow of capitalism and of the present regime?