Post-Putin Russia in the eyes of Navalny.

in oped •  2 years ago 

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/09/30/alexei-navalny-parliamentary-republic-russia-ukraine/

An interesting essay by Russia's principal opposition leader, Alexei Navalny (for those who read Russian, there is also a link to the original Russian version). I by no means agree with everything he says. But I think he is right that Russia needs a political system with less concentration of power in the executive (whether it should necessarily be a parliamentary system is a different question), and that there is considerable latent support there for a more liberal (or at least less authoritarian and expansionist) regime.

Obviously, the task of getting there is likely even harder than Navalny admits. Indeed, it may not be easy to even get to the point where there is a government that lets Navalny himself out of prison (he is currently serving a sentence on obviously trumped up charges). On the other hand, the fact that Putin is repressing opposition speech and activity, and even now tries to avoid calling the war a war (the "special military operation" euphemism continues even now!) is an indication its support is nowhere near as rock-solid as some people (including many in the West) imagine.

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