Russia needs a ‘new system’ of governance: Gorbachev

Sunday, March 31, 2013
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev
[PHOTO: SpreeTom/CC BY SA 3.0]
Moscow: The famous Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has said that Russian politics has “increasingly turned into imitation" and it will have to opt a new system of governance in order to avoid threat of unrest.

The last Soviet leader Gorbachev, whose perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness) reforms in the 1980s failed to avert the collapse of the Soviet Union has severely criticized the alleged ballot fraud and political corruption of the incumbent government.

The 82-year-old leader also condemned President Vladimir Putin for marginalising opponents rather than engaging them and for using bellicose rhetoric in foreign relations in order to convince Russians their country is besieged by external enemies.

Stating that the authorities have "managed to beat down" the latest wave of public protests he warned that they will return unless Putin makes changes.

"The authorities have managed to beat down the wave of protest for a while, but the problems have not disappeared. If everything remains as before, they will escalate," G
orbachev was quoted by the RIA news agency as saying in a lecture.

Over the past week, the country law enforcement officials have searched offices of foreign non-governmental organisations, Putin has ordered snap military exercises in the Black Sea and he created a 'hero of labour' honour reminiscent of a Soviet command economy.
Previous
Next Post »