Cute, no? (Click image for full gallery.)That, my dear readers, is one Anna-Maria Galojan, the Reform party's project to create a positive role model of a Russian politician. Blonde, sexy and confident, her election posters in Tallinn were a welcome change from the faces of Klenski, Savisaar and a bunch of other ugly old men. She had no accomplishments at all prior to becoming a billboard babe, but then that's hardly ever stopped anyone.
In the months since the election, Anna-Maria (having failed to get into Parliament) has found herself in control of the Estonian European Movement. She's in the news today for being promptly ejected from that particular easy chair, due to having embezzled around 600,000 EEK (just under 40,000 Euro) of the foundation's money. Apparently spending it on clothes, jewelry, and a flash lifestyle.
In my flame wars, I often get asked why there are no Russians in prominent political positions in Estonia. My standard reply is that there are no people to fill the positions; nobody the people would like and trust. Miss Galojan here was the party-in-power's attempt to create such a figure from scratch, and yet having just done a round of profiles and interviews in the local Russian papers on being a person of principle, she goes and does (or, well, gets caught doing) something like this. With all the good will in the world, where the hell are we supposed to get enough decent Russians to put into government?
Which is not to say that Estonian politicians don't embezzle. But this is Estonia, and any Russian that wishes to be a credible politician with a mainstream party is held to a higher standard. It's not even an issue of distrust on the part of the Estonians. The local Russian-speakers are quite disenfranchised, but the slice of the electorate which is up for grabs is intelligent enough to be disgusted by Savisaar and Zarenkov. Whereas Estonians will tolerate a bit of modest nepotism and self-serving from their politicians as long as the rest of the country is in good shape - on the principle that if they were in power themselves, they'd surely do the same - the unclaimed Russians are far more careful with their trust. They feel betrayed and unrepresented, and suspicious of any advances by Reform or IRL to begin with. It's commendable that the coalition is trying to bring these guys back into the fold, involve them in the political process, but it's not easy winning their trust.
It's not a Russian Kristiina Ojuland that we need, it's a Russian Marek Strandberg.
8 comments:
I like Olga Sõtnik from Keskerakond because her name reminds me of those tasty Sotsnik kohupiima treats.
The issue here though is that Sõtnik and Anna Maria are both 25. 25 year olds are swell at filling lower-level positions. But I wouldn't put them in the driver's seat. They'll be out of power faster than you can say Ken-Marti Vaher.
He too, allegedly, has/had sex appeal on account of not looking, as you said, like Savisaar. But sex appeal couldn't get Ken-Marti's anti-corruption plan passed.
Correction, Sõtnik is 26.
the pictures really make her look like a pornstar. what was she thinking?
On the whole, I rather prefer that look to Savisaar's, though.
And historically porn stars have had their place in European politics...
Isn't Dmitri Klenski the Russian Marek Strandberg?
Klenski is the Russian Jüri Liim.
I have to say that several Estonians have pointed out to me that Ojuland grew up in Kohtla-Järve, and that this 'slavic influence' is responsible for her whole 'glamor thing'.
Woody Allen quipped: politicians are a notch below child molestors. (Hannah and her Sisters)
Let's not elevate pols at the expense of porn stars. The latter group put out much more than they take.
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