VLADIVOSTOK, December 2 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian President Dmitry Medvedev urged the Russians to come to the polls on Sunday and elect a “viable parliament.”
“How long will it take you to come and vote? Not long - half an hour or one hour. But that hour will determine which parliament the country will have for five years,” he said in a televised address to the nation already aired in the Russian Far East on Friday.
Medvedev said the people have to decide whether “it will be a parliament riven with irreconcilable contradictions and incapable of any decisions which has unfortunately happened in our country before or we shall have a violable legislature in which the majority will comprise responsible politicians who are capable of promoting increased living standards of our people and shall abide by the interests of the voters and national interests.”
“Come to the polls to decide who will represent your interests in the top legislative body of Russia. By electing a new Duma we considerably influence the performance of the federal authority in general and whether all necessary measures are implemented to develop economy, the social sphere, to continue wage and pension increases, reform education and improve the health of people, fight corruption and crime, and finally, defend the country from outside threats,” Medvedev said.
The president said “all the necessary conditions were created for free and equal competition” of the seven participating political parties. “I hope you had a possibility to assess not only their political programs, but also concrete deeds as most of them have a faction in the current Duma,” he said.
“Elections are one of the supreme manifestations of democracy and your personal participation will decide what the new parliament will be. Many truly good and correct actions are made by people not because of obligations, but due to the feeling of responsibility, by the call of the heart, and for moral considerations proceeding from an understanding that nobody but us can improve our life,” the president said.
“I am convinced we shall make Russia a truly modern, highly developed, and comfortable country. So make the correct choice on December 4 and vote for those who you believe will protect your interests, who are keen in economy and experienced in overcoming crisis situations and capable of defending our Motherland and preserving it for our children, who properly understand you and tell you the truth,” Medvedev said.