#5 - JRL 7257
Rosbalt
Dissatisfaction with Privatisation in Russia Rings Out

ST. PETERSBURG, July 20. On July 18, national TV station NTV, Alfred Koch who is a controversial politician and one of the specialists of the privatisation program in Russia, commented on the situation surrounding the so-called Russian oligarchs. He said that someone close to the Kremlin is revising their results of the privatisation program in Russia and they are possibly trying to conduct a campaign under the slogan 'shoot the oligarchs.' He also said that 'if they want to use this campaign for the victory of 'United Russia' political party in the upcoming parliamentary elections, the party will win.'

Koch said that not everyone is happy with the results of the privatisation conducted in Russia, mainly those who 'out of stupidity' or for other reasons did not take part in the privatisation process are not voicing their dissatisfaction. The slogan 'shoot the oligarchs' is not reconciled with the problem of doubling the GDP. Therefore, either one or the other, he said.

On July 17 the results of the privatisation were brought up by TV station TVTs which asked its viewers to answer the question: 'if the results of privatisation were revised would people live better or worse?' 9.5 thousand of the 10 thousand respondents they would live 'better.' 'This is the very same active electorate who will vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections,' said TVTs journalist Stanislav Koucher.