|
| Here you are :
http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/ar...1436951,00.html
An excerpt ;
"Under Yeltsin the system had many flaws, but it was a democracy," he says.
"There was an independent press, independent television, a parliament,
political parties. We could dislike the opposition - it was a communist
opposition - but we had all the right elements of a democratic society. Now,
five years after Putin took office, there is no independent press, no
independent television, the election of the regional governors has been
cancelled, the election of the parliament has been changed, parliament is a
branch of the executive office, and Putin controls virtually all
decision-making in the whole country.
"The tragedy of Russia - and western leaders don't want to recognise it - is
that Putin has already crossed the red line where he could just retire as
Yeltsin did. He and his group have to fight to keep power because they have
too many enemies, too many unsettled scores - and that is why they are
desperate to retain power. Their wealth is based on their grip on power.
They are seizing new properties, seizing more control of Russian finances by
using their power. The moment they lose this grip, it will be a different
ball game."
Jerzy
|
|