The Kremlin’s former political mastermind, Vladislav Surkov, who is currently a deputy prime minister responsible for innovations and science, will coordinate Russia’s ruling United Russia party, RBC business daily reported on Saturday.
Surkov, who is viewed as a top Kremlin strategist, will assume a top position in the party after outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev is appointed the party’s leader. Medvedev stands down on May 7 after four years in office and is expected to be given the post of prime minister as part of a power swap agreed with current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin last year.
Surkov’s new career turn is widely viewed by experts as “the grim tandem,” the daily said. Alexei Makarkin from the Center for Political Technologies think-tank told the daily that Surkov’s return to domestic politics was logical since he had been viewed as a person from Medvedev’s team.
The party’s top posts will be distributed on May 26 during the United Russia’s annual meeting, RBC said.
Surkov has often come under fire from the Russian opposition for being behind the restrictions introduced in the 2000s under then-president Putin, including censorship of state media, suppression of opposition political groups and activists as well as the promotion of the pro-Kremlin youth movements Nashi, the Young Guards and others.
United Russia has suffered a significant drop in its popularity according to opinion polls after disputed parliamentary polls in December, which critics claim were rigged in its favor.
The Kremlin has denied the allegations, but both Medvedev and Putin, whose landslide March 4 presidential election victory was likewise marred by claims of fraud, have pledged to "renovate" the party of power.
