RUSSIA - Putin's Thoughts.

Masterminded by Sholgu, the minister for emergencies retained in this post in Putin's next government, Unity's electoral strategy worked surprisingly well. Putin's views and those of Unity were contained in a 12-page question-and-answer pamphlet. Potential voters were told Russians had to pay their taxes as automatically as they brushed their teeth. Privatisation was a good thing and would not be reversed, although Russians were told the market reformers had made many mistakes. Foreign policy should be reoriented away from the West towards the East. The 25m Russians living outside Russia should be regarded as a "lever of influence", which should be more effectively employed.

The national leader most admired by Unity was Alexander III, Putin hero, the authoritarian tsar who was able "to increase the authority of Russia and strengthen the internal unity of the country". In the late 19th century Alexander III crushed Russia's revolutionary movement and imposed counter-reforms under the banner of Orthodoxy, autocracy and nationality. The power of the state was buttressed and press freedom curtailed.