Democracy: if Vladimir Putin gives up the presidency but holds on to power, is Russia really a democracy?

• Author: Levy, Clifford J.
• Position: Cover story

In two months, Russian President Vladimir V. Putin is leaving office, and no one is sure who will be running the country--the world's largest--after that.

Under Russian law, Putin cannot run for another term as President. While he's said he'll step down, it's less clear that he'll actually give up power: On December 10, Putin announced his support for Dmitri A. Medvedev as his successor, virtually guaranteeing him a victory in this March's presidential election. The next day, Medvedev said that he would name Putin Prime Minister, the second most powerful position in the government, and not surprisingly, Putin accepted the offer.

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If Putin continues to control Russia, it raises a critical question: Can a nation run by someone who is no longer the elected head of state call itself a democracy?

Michael McFaul, a Russia expert at Stanford University, doesn't think so: "If you want a really simple definition, it's this: Democracy is when incumbents lose elections. That is not the case in Russia today."

AUTOCRATIC PAST

Western-style democracy is not a natural fit for Russia. For 350 years, Russia was ruled by powerful czars, and the Soviet Union America's main adversary during the Cold War--was a Communist dictatorship for most of the 20th century.

The years after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 were marked by chaos and economic collapse. When Putin succeeded President Boris Yeltsin in 1999, most Russians were relieved to have a strong President who wanted to put Russia's house in order and restore its position as a world power.

Russia's economy has thrived under Putin. Foreign investment and the stock market have soared, and high oil prices have provided a boost since Russia is the second-largest crude oil exporter. Consumer goods long denied to most Russians under Communist rule are widely available, and millions more Russians, part of a growing middle class, are able to afford them.

But at the same time, Putin--a former K.G.B. agent--has concentrated power in his hands. He approved laws that restrict freedom of expression and shut down independent TV stations. Rivals have been jailed, and the government is alleged to have been involved in killing opponents, in Russia and...