The Significance of a Non-event: Dmitrii Medvedev's 2010 Presidential Address to Parliament

Abstract

Dmitrii Medvedev delivered his third presidential address to the Russian parliament in an atmosphere marked by widening fissures in the country's power structure and increasing calls for political reform. His public statements in recent months had led many to believe that he was prepared to stand again for the presidency, this time on a reformist platform, and that this speech would launch his campaign. His banal and conservative address deeply disappointed them. A close analysis of that address, however, shows that it is altogether congruent with Russian political discourse, and thus indeed signalled his bid for another term in office.