Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin
The leader of Russia’s second-largest opposition party has named the eight candidates he believes are most likely to replace Vladimir Putin as Russian president.
Vladimir Zhirinovsky also jokingly added himself to the mix.
Famous for his passionate, patriotic rhetoric and confrontational style, Zhirinovsky is often mocked as a clown by the media and intelligentsia, but is Russia’s most popular political figure outside of the government.
A recent Levada poll put his ‘trust rating’ at 13 percent. That’s more than four times higher than the Western-leaning opposition figure Alexey Navalny (3 percent).
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WNU Editor: I am not a fan of Vladimir Zhirinovsky. But he is right that Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin is the one who is best positioned to take over should Putin retire in the coming year. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin is seen by many Russians to be someone who will break from the past, without all the baggage of Putin (even though he was appointed by him). Another appeal is that he has shown himself to be a capable manager of the country's affairs during these difficult times. The fact that he has the full support of Putin also helps him. The real test will be when he campaigns in the next election (if Putin does not), and will he be able to attract the same bloc of voters that have always supported Putin .... the elderly/pensioners, the Russian Orthodox Church, the bureaucracy, and the growing middle and entrepreneurial class.
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