MOSCOW, December 15 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin urged the Russians to take local elections in the responsible way to avoid quasi-oligarchs and their representatives in the municipalities.
In a reply to lawyer Anatoly Kucherena’s question during a question-and-answer session that the dialogue lacks between local authorities and people, the prime minister recalled his meeting with Alexander Solzhenitsyn. He “gave a close attention to the municipal level of authorities and this is absolutely right,” Putin said, noting that this “is the most important level of power, from which the daily life of people depends.”
The prime minister recalled that the powers and funding are being divided between the federal and regional authorities. Local authorities “should be self-sufficient to resolve the tasks shouldered on them, but even in the face of such opportunity they should not be indifferent,” Putin noted.
Putin gave attention to the running question line.
“The thieves should be really put in prison, but this should not be turned in a short-lived campaign,” the premier said. “But people choose it themselves. You should take the election process in the responsible way, so that there were no quasi-oligarchs or their representatives in the municipalities,” Putin went on to say.