Russia"s Medvedev seeks to showcase democracy
President Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday that Russia is taking steps toward greater democracy, defending electoral reforms that Kremlin critics dismiss as window-dressing.
Medvedev met with leaders of three small political parties and offered hope they will someday win seats in parliament, which is dominated by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia party.
Medvedev has spoken in favor of pluralism and lowered some of the barriers Putin threw up to keep opponents out of parliament and other power structures during his eight-year presidency.
He suggested that the changes he has initiated — including a law that will give one or two seats to parties winning between 5 percent and 7 percent of the vote in conforming elections, instead of shutting them out entirely — marked slow but sure autonomous progress.
"I believe these decisions are aimed to create a modern, more popular political system," Medvedev said in televised remarks during the meeting at his residence outside Moscow.
"Of course, the formation of the political system is deed constantly," he added — evidently eager to avoid the awareness that he was criticizing Putin, the mentor who chose him as successor and now serves as prime minister. Many Russians believe Putin still holds the country's reins.
Medvedev met with leaders of Yabloko, a liberal party that has been out of parliament since 2000; the little-known nationalist party Patriots of Russia; and Right Cause, a party created last year with Kremlin support.
He struck an inclusive tone in comments broadcast on state box. He pointed out that the parties have tens of thousands of members and said it was "quite likely" they will "sooner or later" win seats in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament.
Despite Medvedev's talk of democracy, critics say the Kremlin has continued to maintain its tight grip on politics, using its clout to keep opponents off TV and out of office.
The reforms Medvedev has initiated "absolutely do not change, not an iota, the political construction that Putin has handed over to Medvedev — if he has actually handed it over," said Nikolai Petrov, an analyst with the Carnegie Moscow Center.
"These are small, decorative changes whose purpose is to make evident that something is changing, something is improving, something is democratizing, but they in no way change the whole political design," Petrov said.
Medvedev met with leaders of three small political parties and offered hope they will someday win seats in parliament, which is dominated by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia party.
Medvedev has spoken in favor of pluralism and lowered some of the barriers Putin threw up to keep opponents out of parliament and other power structures during his eight-year presidency.
He suggested that the changes he has initiated — including a law that will give one or two seats to parties winning between 5 percent and 7 percent of the vote in conforming elections, instead of shutting them out entirely — marked slow but sure autonomous progress.
"I believe these decisions are aimed to create a modern, more popular political system," Medvedev said in televised remarks during the meeting at his residence outside Moscow.
"Of course, the formation of the political system is deed constantly," he added — evidently eager to avoid the awareness that he was criticizing Putin, the mentor who chose him as successor and now serves as prime minister. Many Russians believe Putin still holds the country's reins.
Medvedev met with leaders of Yabloko, a liberal party that has been out of parliament since 2000; the little-known nationalist party Patriots of Russia; and Right Cause, a party created last year with Kremlin support.
He struck an inclusive tone in comments broadcast on state box. He pointed out that the parties have tens of thousands of members and said it was "quite likely" they will "sooner or later" win seats in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament.
Despite Medvedev's talk of democracy, critics say the Kremlin has continued to maintain its tight grip on politics, using its clout to keep opponents off TV and out of office.
The reforms Medvedev has initiated "absolutely do not change, not an iota, the political construction that Putin has handed over to Medvedev — if he has actually handed it over," said Nikolai Petrov, an analyst with the Carnegie Moscow Center.
"These are small, decorative changes whose purpose is to make evident that something is changing, something is improving, something is democratizing, but they in no way change the whole political design," Petrov said.
