Putin promises to increase minimum wage after the election
Russian President Vladimir Putin promises that the minimum wage in his country will increase on May 1st, as he stated on January 10th while speaking with workers at a plant in the city of Tver and added that a change in the minimum wage will affect "about four million people."
The Government plans stipulated that such growth would take place later in 2018. According to officials, the Russian Ministry of Labor will soon begin developing the draft bill regarding the increase in minimum wage.
The minimum wage in Russia is 9,899 rubles per month (this is about 166 US dollars), and the basic subsistence level is 11,163 rubles (196 US dollars).
Official data show that more than 20 million Russians live below the poverty line.
Putin announced his decision to run for president for a fourth term on December 6th. Critics argue that the elections are not competitive, and the government manipulates the results of the vote.
At the end of 2017, the Central Election Commission of Russia refused to register opposition politician, Alexei Navalny, as a candidate for the post of the Russian president, despite the fact that he has been conducting an election campaign, organizing election headquarters, and holding rallies in dozens of Russian cities over the past year.