Point of View

“If by democracy we mean a form of government that allows citizens to influence the situation in the country, then civil society in any country, depending on its maturity, will choose a balance between stability and development which allows the country to move forward. At the same time this balance should not shake up society and frighten it with possible cataclysms. At the present moment, on the whole, I believe we have such a balance. Destabilisation will lead to stagnation or destruction.”

"Now I would like to say a few words about the responsibilities of officials and representatives in any organisation that have violated the law. Please note that so-called representatives of authority are not immune to the law. We have examples of criminal persecution, whereby some high-ranking officials were convicted by a court of law and had to serve a term in prison. These include the heads of some regions representing the ruling party. There should be no exceptions in this respect. We will allow no exceptions at all".

"If deputies from a party have not been represented in the Moscow City Duma for years, why do you think they should get seats there now? You should look at these processes objectively. On the other hand, I'd like to say again that in such situations much depends on inter-party dialogue, on the moral climate in the State Duma and an ability to talk with ones colleagues."

"We must create a tradition of constitutional transition of power and demonstrate to the country and the world that it is possible in Russia and that this is not a catastrophe, but on the contrary, our state is in some ways becoming stronger."

"In our country, indeed, a very good relationship has formed between the President and the Prime Minister. That is an important factor of political stability in Russia."

"As for the actions of the Government, a critical view of the Government's work is an absolutely normal thing. I myself am not always pleased with what some ministries and agencies are doing. In time of crisis its current activities must come under particularly close scrutiny. That is the only way to find the most effective and valid solutions."

"I agree that the work of the Government and other executive authorities on draft laws should be more transparent and systemic. In particular, we should proceed to medium-term planning of legislative activities. Many of our decisions are not being implemented. This means that these laws are not drafted property or systemically. While we are at the initial stage of preparing key Government draft laws, I propose that we should involve State Duma deputies, members of the Federation Council, representatives of the expert community and public organisations in this work. We have had "zero" hearings before, and should apply this practice more extensively. I hope that this will help us to substantially enhance the effectiveness of lawmaking."

"Our political forces-I mean legal forces-have been extremely responsible up to this point, and I expect them to continue thus in the future. We cannot, must not, and will not limit legal protest - that is, in the forms stipulated by the law of the Russian Federation."

“For the first time a peaceful change of top leadership took place in Russia in line with the Fundamental Law, the Constitution. We held presidential elections on time and in accordance with the Constitution. We also held parliamentary elections. These were major events in the life of the country.”

“I will start with the last part. I think that the trade unions have started carrying out a natural function in this country, which is very important for them. I mean defending the interests of working people. They have stopped being some school of communism, or something else. This is an entirely different sphere of activities. They have stopped being a political appendage of some party, but have begun fulfilling an independent function. Responsible conduct of trade unions is very important, very much in demand.”