An interesting turn is gotten by the presidential campaign which formally has not started yet. Victor Gerashchenko the - known banker who held for some years a post of chairman of the Central Bank of Russia, declared about his intention to stand for the candidate from incorporated opposition.
The left opposition exults - Gerashchenko has in political circles a reputation of the politician of moderately left orientation. His "leftism" is connected with Victor Vladimirovich's deep Soviet roots (what else one could expect - he was born in1937, all his life passed at the Soviet system). And "moderateness" of Victor Gerashchenko rides the character of his profession (bank sphere, at that - international finance) and big money, as you know, hate fuss.
As such Victor Vladimirovich is - a person nice enough, counterbalanced, with the developed self-respect.
I do not doubt that he will excellently cope with the duties of the President of some safe European country.
As to Russia, here we have special case. Our country, rampant by Peter the first, till now cannot occupy steady position - reforms, revolutions and counterrevolutions have been shaking the country not for the first century.
The president (successful!) of such country should be strong and tough person.
Still waters run deep, certainly, and it's quite possible that inside of Victor Vladimirovich extraordinary passionarity bubbles. But, well, you see, age...
However, the matter is not in it. Triumph of opposition in occasion of Gerashchenko's consent to be promoted as the candidate in president is more than strange, for example because it means obvious split in its not very harmonous numbers.
Where, it is interesting, Michael Kasyanov who has already accustomed to a role of the uniform candidate from opposition will hide his ambitions!? And, on the other hand, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation will put forward their candidate - most likely Gennady Zyuganov.
And there, one can foresee, new names of the candidates from opposition will appear as peas from a torn bag.
And on this background chances of the successor of Vladimir Putin (whether it is Dmitry Medvedev or Sergey Ivanov) not decrease but on the contrary sharply increase. Moreover, in this situation it can quite turn out that in the second round of elections (and it, most likely, won't be possible to avoid) there will be not one but at once two candidates from the party in power. And most likely, it will be the same Dmitry Medvedev and Sergey Ivanov.
Russia, obviously, will have to choose the new leader from them.
