29 November 2003 18:38
Mortgages seen as one of Putin`s big ideas in run-up to presidential poll
With housing seen as one of the big issues confronting ordinary Russians, the expansion of the mortgage market is set
to become one of the linchpins of Putin's re-election strategy, according to the Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper.
Deputy chief of the Presidential Administration Igor Shuvalov is overseeing plans to make the issue a "matter of
paramount state importance" as the presidential election approaches. The following is the text of the article,
published on 21 November:
The chairman of the commission "to double GDP" is following in [Mikhail] Gorbachev's footsteps.
With the appointment of Igor Shuvalov to be deputy head of the Presidential Administration, the work of the
commission "to double GDP", which is subordinated to him, has by no means come to a standstill. While gaining
additional authority, Shuvalov is still actively occupied with his specialist "workload". Nezavisimaya Gazeta
was able to learn that the latest closed session of the commission was held on Wednesday [19 November], when the
intermediate results were summarized.
The activity of these experts, as has been the case, is not being made broadly known at the request of Shuvalov
himself and the Kremlin public relations people, respectively: the results of the work should be appearing closer to the
beginning of the presidential campaign, and become the foundation of the pre-election economic platform of Vladimir
Putin. Moreover, the administration has assembled just experts, not deputies or other public functionaries. The latter,
who several months ago had proposed topics "for reflection", have effectively been removed from the work. They
are only named at the Shuvalov gatherings (and this has happened extremely rarely since the commission began its work)
when a result that has already been prepared has to be carried to the masses. The shadowy professionals - apparatchiks
from the ministries and agencies - are the ones labouring at this stage.
The activity of these subordinates of Shuvalov has already produced results: a replacement for the "national
idea" of Russia, not found by anyone until now, has been found. True, just for the next four years so far. One
theme on which the authorities intend to wager in a large way has been singled out from the six points that were
selected as priorities at the first sessions of the commission - namely, mortgage lending for housing. Shuvalov was
talking about it both on Wednesday and Tuesday, at a meeting with experts from the Centre for Strategic Developments in
the context of providing housing for servicemen.
"The improvement of housing conditions is the biggest and most painful topic that unites a majority of Russians
today. Half of them have the money for it. They just need to get it into circulation," one of the participants in
the meeting told a Nezavisimaya Gazeta commentator off the record.
Mortgaging, which by virtue of various specific features in the domestic market Russians do not take advantage of
very much (and the state is still not monitoring very well a system by which some enterprising officials have already
managed to start feathering their nests), will be got up and running as a matter of paramount state importance as the
presidential elections draw closer.
The current presidential team, having resuscitated half-forgotten slogans (give everyone an apartment by 1980, by
2000 and the like), can instil optimism and hope in the people for several years to come with the skilful handling of
the theme. Shuvalov is already providing his own direction. "We must not waste time in January for nothing, but
start getting ready. The housing market is now expanding, but the needs of Russians are even greater," the Kremlin
official instructed the experts and deputies at a session on the subject as far back as the beginning of November. True,
he did make the reservation: "We are not constructing utopian plans, we are just talking about the fact that we
need to create tools for action." The creation of the necessary legislative base is only being planned by 2004.
One Russia is picking up on the mortgage idea as well. The web site vvp.ru, which actively covers Shuvalov's
initiatives, has posted the comments of the "Bears" who have looked into the problem. Along with a fresh idea
that summarizes the whole Shuvalov theme, from the head of the supreme council of One Russia, Boris Gryzlov:
"Doubling GDP by 2010 is entirely realistic."
[Nezavisimaya Gazeta] |
RUSSIA IN FACTS
