Vladimir Putin may be celebrating victory after Sunday’s presidential elections, but Russia remains riddled with uncertainties. We do not know the extent of vote-rigging and we have no idea about what will happen tomorrow, let alone next week. One thing is clear: sweeping change has begun and there is no stopping it. Whether you want to call it “revolution” is irrelevant. What matters now is that the opposition transforms its raw emotions into a manifesto for the future of Russia.
Mr Putin and his team have done all they could to sustain the reform movement. They accused protesters of selling out to America, hinting they do not love Russia enough. Mr Putin got more than his fair share of air time on federal television channels, while millions of public sector workers were told what the right choice is if they value the security of their jobs. All this was no surprise. Nor was Mr Putin’s victory. But now, the opposition has to set the agenda and stop relying on Mr Putin to do it for them.
It needs to say where the country should go in the next few years. The millions of Russians sympathetic to the protests are eagerly waiting for these ideas. It is no secret that the protesters represent a broad political spectrum. This is a good thing: the protest should flourish in new directions. New parties left, right and centre should emerge and engage in proper debates about economic policy, healthcare, education and various other reforms – everything that Mr Putin preferred not to discuss during his years in power.