The Putin Predicament: Problems of Legitimacy and Succession in Russia

Using the Russian president’s major public addresses as the main source, Bo Petersson analyzes the legitimization strategies employed during Vladimir Putin’s third and fourth terms in office. The argument is that these strategies have rested on Putin’s highly personalized blend of strongman-image projection and presentation as the embodiment of Russia’s great power myth. Putin appears as the only credible guarantor against renewed weakness, political chaos, and interference from abroad―in particular from the US.

After a first deep crisis of legitimacy manifested itself by the massive protests in 2011–2012, the annexation of Crimea led to a lengthy boost in Putin’s popularity figures. The book discusses how the Crimea effect is, by 2021, trailing off and Putin’s charismatic authority is increasingly questioned by opposition from Alexei Navalny, the effects of unpopular reforms, and poor handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moreover, Russia is bound to head for a succession crisis as the legitimacy of the political system continues to be built on Putin’s projected personal characteristics and―now apparently waning―charisma, and since no potential heir apparent has been allowed on center stage. The constitutional reform of summer 2020 made it possible in theory for Putin to continue as president until 2036. Yet, this change did not address the Russian political system’s fundamental future leadership dilemma.

The author:

Dr. Bo Petersson is Professor of Political Science at the Department of Global Political Studies at Malmö University, Sweden. Petersson is a co-founder and co-director of the research platform “Russia and the Caucasus Regional Research” (RUCARR). He is a board member of The Swedish Society for the Study of Russia, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the Swedish Network for European Studies in Political Science as well as the journals Communist and Post-Communist Studies, Journal of Intangible Heritage, and Nordisk Östforum.

The author of the foreword:

Dr. J. Paul Goode is Associate Professor and McMillan Chair of Russian Studies at Carleton University, Ottawa.