welcome back to headlines now peacemaking mission a delegation led by russia's foreign minister heads to damascus as bloodshed in syria gathers momentum against a backdrop of diplomatic clashes. sacrifices fifteen thousand more jobs for the big two appears its international creditors and source of the ravaged nation state is not a general strike. to libyan dissidents former head of britain's and six spy agency that's a corporation with hundred twenty network but in case of a ship with a dictator back in the spotlight. now as the russian presidential election gets closer we talk to opposition politicians cough about last saturday's mass rallies proselytes interview show spotlight next.

hello again a welcome. i'm. a month before the presidential election faced the first major opposition rally in two thousand and twelve tens of thousands marched through the streets of moscow. calling for fair elections though some of them. back to the kremlin others say. they believe. while supporters are protesting against the protesters the result may be unpredictable if the opposition wins as it is split on.

what some. were asking one of the leaders of the opposition. when the soviet union collapsed and new democratic forces came to power. in the foreground of russian politics he represented the main program boris yeltsin and was first elected. three five years later reached the top of his governmental career when he was appointed deputy prime minister with a responsibility for social issues however a few days later say it was not an area of expertise after spending fifteen years in parliament has become one of the most active opponents of the established power and has held a protest rally. hello vladimir nice to have you here in the studio welcome welcome to spotlight well

a you are one of the organizers and an active participant some of these recent recent rallies well they're called for fair elections what who are these protesters labeled as the angry citizens in the russian press and do you think that these people really can influence the kremlin today you know this this protest movement is where it it why. it includes as well politicians as well just regular citizens and i could say that may mean maybe seventy percent of protesters not. are not belong to political camps seventy percent of just regular old people from the streets and the main engine of these protests is i think two events first event twenty fourth of september last year when putin video of proclaimed that they will change there is this combination and when they

said that's all we agreed many years before about that so many people in russia been shocked by this by this announcement because too predictable but it did well and people felt some people felt that they were deprived you know of making the choice it was a little bit cynical it was a little bit little bit a trick not politics is is very is a very cynical process and you know that maybe not maybe the reason is that people in the west people in developed democracies know that it is cynical and the russians are not used to it yet yes but the bottom is you know this is what i mean isn't problem is that for last twenty years no one. power in russia was change of free elections it's always been like tzarist model boris yeltsin had success you know what he meant appointed his successor of the meeting with the it is now the meeting with the points his successor predecessor. so it's not well

this is this is what mr circle thought of the merger would be managed democracy he called he called did the the sovereign democracy over in the so this is the russian waste ok i mean that maybe twenty years ago or even fifteen years ago it was ok it was natural for natural way of making deals in russia but now it's different i could. so the main split main change we hear the last ten years to twelve years is that in russia was created a middle class so-called angry citizens. which is coming out to the streets and this is where the middle class in the middle where you're initially europeans europe middle class and even greece to do that it's about twenty five thirty percent of population and this angry middle class not

accept more these broad czarist model was first reason of this mass protest and second concrete reason for the results of duma lections fourth of december you remember xander that first action was next the night after elections fifth of december there it was a huge will open a square election of the then was biggest action on so how are the new twenty fourth of december and the main reason for this mass protests being the first if occasions especially in moscow because in most example exit polls show it about when this when to say well he was also wanted more transparency they want to be sure that the elections are fair though there was a we should that that is sort of the law going into the law and they feel that they there that they may have been deprived of their choice if they're absolutely well let's take a look now at the most recent rallies in moscow which took place last saturday here's

a report from spotlight here that the media. despite temperatures of minus twenty celsius moscow streets will be boiling with political activity on the fourth of february nothing seems to be able to cool down the heated political debates which have been building as the presidential election approaches for mass two rallies were held in russia's capital on saturday the two biggest one for and one against the government to try. active tens of thousands the opposition marched for fair election in this third rally of its kind since last december they have been protesting against alleged fraud in the state duma election the ruling united russia party gained half the vote amid ballot riggin accusations which infuriated the crowd this time protesters called for free and democratic presidential election in less than a month meanwhile house where in moscow was separate programs mantra was held the

main slogan there was we have much to lose suggesting the country's current stability will be damaged if it is not real active participants said they were against the protest movement in the country right in there putin spoke to both sides in his new weekly pre-election article he sees the current political activity in the country as a good sign and then achievement of his years in power at the same time he admits the quality of the state is like being behind civil society which has become more mature active and responsible. so putin has. admitted that the government needs to catch up with the civil society right here as an out some political concessions but do you have the feeling that putin is ready to to go further in liberalizing really the society the political life force on for unfortunate for children or so you're

a pessimist person is that because you know on bloatware square and saw her i mean you know be a doctor for a very simple demands to the authorities so as demand is to free political prisoners we have now about forty people including khodorkovsky and i believe in prisons absolutely fabricated fabricated. number number two we don't agree with the results. of parliamentary elections we don't see real investigation on thousands investigating investigating the alleged fraud number three it's a wide demand of deep and complex political reforms registration of opposition parties. free elections a new formation of electoral in this new space something is being done that will talk or will will talk a little later about your own party that that's leading to my idea was not really what it is not to reduce it in until now it is not really something is happening at

all to then it's ok i'm skeptical and i have reasons for that other demands he mentioned three demands you know number the number with think that we need new parliamentary elections because this duma is not represent whole population of the country especially especially population of big cities moscow sample does work you know it's an absolute when we have twenty five thirty percent of liberal minded people and no one representative in national parliament because it follows a number and number five is. number five is new presidential elections if common presidential elections will not be free and as well as the settlers so your main demand is is having is returning the choice that people feel they are deprived of remains in mind control litigants legal representation for the for popular for all looking after the

first after the other spots around these everybody including your supporters had had an impression that putin has heard what what people have said in the streets but last weekend after after the kremlin held their rally had the same day and same time as the opposition rally wasn't that a sign that the kremlin is not ready for i don't hear you know i think it's a bad signal it's a bad signal what's in. and so there's no dialogue no dialogue moreover moreover alexander i'm i'm i'm i'm very very much concerned on situation because i see escalation escalation of political temperature from both sides you can see that first action feels to rally in the same but was and the chore of head of electoral commission and again. now it's becoming more and more anti putin. movement from another side is becoming more and more and to liberal and to

democratic and modern movement so we can see that the russian society is split at more and more and escalation the from both sides it's a good thing to be finished by confrontation not only between authorities and people but between different parts of russia as i will be confrontation politics is always confrontation but i do believe normal politics is always dialogue do you do you believe that there is a person in russia who could beat putin on the upcoming elections. you know to get to the conclusion a lost the ball look on the figures look on the figure so we have three pinion pole advances. and the difference is very big between the figure of most independent agents in the world the last figure is about forty two percent. and most loyal to see

a warm. fifty fiftieth's or so difference is ten percent but even if we were right it could be second tour and if we win the second round of elections anyone have anyone anyone could beat them could beat them porter says that in the risk of the opposition politicians here in russia spotlight will divakar after a break so stay with us and. i still struggle with that idea australia you know italian new zealand in the way banking ceded to among. if you want to have sex go and have sex.

russia would be so much brighter if you move. from violence to. start on t.v. dot com. welcome back to spotlight i'll grab in just a reminder that my guest on the show today is vladimir rushkoff an opposition

politician here in russia. let's get back to those rallies that we've been talking about the rallies that are demanding more transparency and their. rule of law has made but first of all they they the most of the people say the elections in december was not transparent enough and they they want to guarantee that the presidential election the main election issue will be transparent ok now mainstream politicians many journalists. claim that these manifestations that we see here were masterminded by american experts uncolored revolution than that and that they actually were organized by u.s. sponsored activists you're one of the activists so how do you react to that what well was there any ground for us to check yours ations you know i could say the influence of the united states for on the russian policy i think it's a lowest for last decades obama administration is very passive. they caught the

whole money supporting democracy all the world there they began restart policy which is very. friendly research research research very friendly. then it only idiots or propagandists could say that united states stay behind this process brought us moment i can give you one example you know for organizing this millions meant we need money to to to order seen this voice and source on all money ville collected by the people thousands of people just sent money five hundred rubles one thousand rubles three hundred rubles on or on a special open foundation so we raised money for all through the internet are some of the through the internet will raise money from regular people to order all this all this machinery all this me all these no no one sent from this maybe forever of

the accusations because because using the internet for organizing mass rallies is one of the technologies that is being claimed invented by the americans now not really have they have been arrested in africa in russia we have very. restrictive legislation about that no one ruble from abroad could be used and it's very clear and it's very much under control of the state so it's a good example as this movement is transparent. it compare with elections absolutely transparent. and moved by people themselves ok enough to know the claim by those who oppose the opposition is that if you win. the elections or whatever there will be unrest in the country because because the opposition is not ready it said it's not united there are many tensions inside the

opposition there isn't a leader ready to take responsibility and. so on and so forth so why do you think that you for example personally that you do have a mandate to represent the people who gave them and you know no one gave them and it but we have opinion polls we had. the independent opinion poll on suck out of the new i'm sorry but it could be according to opinion polls i think television presenters have very high ratings but they can't represent i don't know if you say they are not really there but there will be some concrete questions about confidence due to the little house. on the vigorous being as politicians as not politicians i am one of them so we have some some credit of confidence from the people what you are absolutely right. we don't want to destroy the country we don't want to be lucia we we strongly against any while and and all actions already in

moscow as you know been absolutely peaceful and absolutely safe safe for people. we guarantee safety for the people we need political reforms and we believe that political reforms democratic reforms will strengthen the russia but not my question well i have already mentioned that something is already happening including something happening with your own party and your own life as the politician following the decision of the european human rights court the. supreme court of russia ruled that the liquidation of your republican party was illegal now what made it happen and is it is is it a sign i'll of something or simply have some bad news for my european friends and for my colleagues it's absolutely stupid story five years ago my party was liquidated despite my party was all this liberal party in russia republican party

of five years later i warn european court of human for human rights in strasbourg in january i won the russians who creamed corn and decision of supremes court what was it called in the european court decision that liquidation was illegal what happened after that minister of justice of russia mr kahn a while ago built to superior court again to liquidate my party despite two court decisions european court of what it means that the government steal try to stop activity of my body does that mean that the minister of justice is breaking the law because i was a little bit kinder to some because the ministry of justice is the executive branches and it has to abate the court the supreme court decision absolutely and he doesn't absolutely it means that he appeals yes but does he have the right to appeal they have a right but it's very strange if you have to the citizens court decisions it it's difficult to believe that european court of the supremes court of russia again it

builds up to two laws party he's appealing to the constitutional court not the supreme court again but the it's you know it's a legal procedure it's a little it's a difficult legal procedure well they're trying to make life after you're in a position of this is not ok but i wasn't there one of the actions after the next elections and i can't but the support the lections life last five years and i again can't participate elections because minister of justice is still trying to break this is one of european court insuperable. it's a bad signal that means that russian state russian government says he'll. repressively think in the both political opposition well iraq received iraq receives always sort of it's not just rhetoric decision it's a little this is a bit of fighting against a position as well it was the last five years what do they tell you you do have contacts with with people behind the kremlin walls of course yes they do they say started to do they explain their decision it's interesting no one takes the

responsibility here no one everyone says that's not me i don't know i ask another guy that's not me no one no one take the responsibility on him but who makes a decision it's a question well but what's your feeling will your party be restored by the next parliamentary election due in six years i think so yes you think you think and i hope my hope my hope is that it will be not only my party is one of my partners with russia but will be much hope that we will be really united in strong liberal party is that it will be if it will be united liberal party it could take twenty twenty five thirty percent of the meant elections and be one of the biggest political parties and here you are optimistic this is going to have to mystic not because of power not about not because of a thought it is i'm optimistic because of. russian society has changed for the last

ten years and the russian society now is totally different with the ninety's in the ninety's it was who're. and very split a decided this is almost without middle class now it's my much more prosperous society with massive middle class and now as a historian i could say that maybe it's the first time in russian history for last thousand years when we have real social basement for democracy and these people of that race it's a signal that we have civil society demanding democracy there is an interesting opinion there pinion is that that maybe putin is. so clever that he is he wants to liberalize this legislation on party registration in order to make more small liberals are really happy and make the confront and not let them unite into one big movement may that be true absolutely i think it's dear

to split liberals land content small liberal parties to split the left flank on small left parties to split so-called put on twenty or thirty so-called pejorative parties but we must be smart enough not to game this player not to play this game and it is my point that we need strong united liberal party and this strong united liberal party will collect million of wards and seventy percent of people who've been on sorrow or be liberals according to opinion polls listen very well but there is so i was going to say you are a historian and you've been in the studio in this capacity we talked about his history and very process with the well if we look not at the american england but our east european countries post to tell italian countries post to tell a tear in democracies we see that in all of these countries mainly there is the new democratic party and the old socialist or communist who are posing in the russian

well who also have begun of. so maybe the future of russian democracy is either put in this partly or the or the near all communists. and there's no place feel for the liberals like you know i don't think so he's either too big you know players when i when i think about russia i think it's very much similar to poland now to check republic to hungary so i mean that we have we have different groups in society we have strong left left left. movement potentially communists and social democrats we have so-called nationalist and patrols but have real a real liberal part of society as i said previously twenty twenty five maybe thirty percent and and and and drama of current russian politics is that this this segment big city is well educated people are not represented in political system thank you

thank you very much for coming i wish you free and fair elections and the same to you where average you're watching just to remind you that my guest today was applied in the rest of the russian opposition and that's it for now from all of us if you want to have your say and spotlight or have someone in mind who you think i should be next time to drop in the spotlight will be back with more firsthand comments on what's going on in and outside russia until then stay on our team and take your. world with. science technology innovation all the developments from around russia we've got the future covered. led mission

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peacemaking mission a delegation led by russia's foreign minister heads to damascus as bloodshed in

syria gathers momentum against a backdrop of.