President Medvedev and the liberalization of Russia
A think tank established this year by the Kremlin proposes that President Medvedev and his administration start a process of liberalizing political life in Russia.
A new report from the Institute of Contemporary Development (ISP) concludes that the era of managed democracy is over and that it is about time for Russia to get a full-fledged democracy.
“In 2008 the course towards modernization of the country has been announced, and the main condition for this has to be the liberalization of political processes”, the authors of the report maintain. They believe Russia’s political system suffer from weak political parties, a toothless parliament, limited competition between the parties, excessive verticalization of power and unfair elections.
The ISP was established in March this year by pro-Medvedev forces. The president himself is the chairman of the institute’s supreme council, newspaper Vedomosti reports.
Medvedev has on several occasions highlighted that Russia is a country firmly belonging to Europe and the western cultural system. In an interview with Reuters last week, the president called Russia “a country that identifies itself and is aware of itself as a part of Europe”.
Photo illustration: Kremlin.ru
