MOSCOW, December 15 (Itar-Tass) — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that it might be expedient to introduce general elections of regional governor from among president-agreed nominees.
“It is worth to think over a proposal that all the parties represented in a regional legislature nominated their candidates for the post of regional governor,” Putin said in a televised question-and-answer session. “These nominees are considered by the president and submitted not to the local legislature but for general vote.”
“I invented the existing system of appointing governors myself, no one advised me that,” he said but had to admit, “Now I see that it may be not enough.”
“Maybe, it is necessary to make a next step,” he noted. “But still it is necessary to keep a presidential filter to cut off anyone who seeks to come to power using criminal or separatist forces.”
“Something of the kind might be done in terms of the formation of the upper parliament house, maybe direct elections,” he added.
“Later on, we shall see and maybe allow self-nomination, but so far a presidential filter is needed,” he stressed.
The existing system of governor appointments was introduced when the situation in the country was unstable, with combat operations in the North Caucasus and semi-criminal elites in Russian regions. “The worst thing then was that they never hesitated to use any means to come to power, relying on semi-criminal groups and even separatists,” he said.
Putin suggests return to direct popular elections of governors, senators
But still it is necessary to keep a presidential filter to cut off anyone who seeks to come to power using criminal or separatist forces