Putin: Is He Bald Enough?

It seems that Russia's hairy pattern of power is set to continue. Only few pundits doubt that Medvedev's recommendation for Vladimir Putin to be Russia's new president leaves space for any viable political alternatives in Russia's 2012 presidential election.

If Putin moves back into the Kremlin, it will be in line with Russia's absurd alternating leadership system: hair, then bald. Over the past decades and centuries, Russian leaders have alternatively been blessed with either a full head or hair or with baldness.

Lets look at the stats: Tsar Nicholas: hair. Lenin: bald. Stalin: hair. Khrushchev: bald. Brezhnev: hair. Andropov: bald. Chernenko: hair. Gorbachev: bald. Yeltsin: hair. Putin: bald. Medvedev: hair. Putin 2012 (?): bald.

Medvedev's unexpectedly bold appraisal of Putin has reeled in the usual critique from outspoken Putin critics such as Boris Nemtsov, former deputy prime minister of Russia from 1997 to 1998. He has called the United Russia congress tradeoff a “horror scenario”.

Responses from Medvedev's staff also seem to indicate that the Putin tradeoff is anything but a mutual matter. Arkady Dvorkovich, economic assistant to Medvedev posted a rather sarcastic Twitter post (“Yeah, yeah there's nothing to be happy about”) as the decision was broadcasted.

If Putin moves back into the Kremlin in 2012 he will have to be cautious to communicate a more liberal and open Russian presidency in order to avert the pull-out of foreign capital and mass migrations.

It remains to be seen whether Putin will swim with the whales, fight with tigers and fish topless in these upcoming presidential elections or if he will resort to a more “presidential” campaign in the run-up to Russia's December 2012 elections.