The defection of long-time state official Alexei Kudrin to the “opposition” may in fact be a Kremlin ploy, but some of his latest statements are quite interesting. From the Associated Press:
“Without the acknowledgment that the parliamentary election was unfair, the fairness of the presidential vote will be thrown into doubt, irrespective of how honest it might be,” he said.
Kudrin said the government and the opposition must conduct a dialogue on changing the electoral rules and laws on political parties. But, he added, the opposition push to unseat Putin could end in turmoil.
“An attempt to simultaneously reform two branches of power … would entail too big risks for the country,” he said.