Visit Indian Travel Sites
Goa,
Kerala,
Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh,
Delhi,
Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh,
Assam,
Sikkim,
Madhya Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir
Karnataka
|
Mikhail Gorbachev calls Russian political system a mockery of democracy |
Former Soviet Union
President Mikhail Gorbachev has delivered a damning indictment of the state of
Russia's political system, describing the recent elections as a stage-managed
"mockery" of voters. In his most outspoken comments since he resigned in 1991,
Gorbachev fiercely criticised the ruling United Russia party led by Vladimir Putin,
the prime minister, and said that genuine political debate was now confined to
Russia's tiny liberal press. "In the eyes of everybody, elections have been turned
into a mockery of people and a symbol of disrespect for their choices," The Telegraph
quoted him, as saying. "The electoral system has been maimed," he said in an interview
with the Novaya Gazeta, a liberal newspaper he partly owns. Kremlin-backed electoral
officials rushed to insist the vote was largely fair. But in an odd twist, three
mainstream opposition parties who have been traditionally happy to play by the
Kremlin's rules, rebelled and walked out of the Duma, the national lower house
of parliament. Gorbachev, 78, said the unusual walkout showed that even United
Russia had gone too far this time. "If such disciplined and cautious people who
are so close to power decided to undertake such a demarche, it means that faith
in the political institution of elections is definitively lost," he said. The
comments are a watershed for Gorbachev who has busied himself with think tanks,
speeches and measured newspaper commentaries since his dramatic fall from grace.
These latest comments suggest that he believes the entire political system is
rotten and needs reforming. |
|
|
|
|
|