SEOUL, March 27 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has pledged to meet with representatives from political parties seeking registration.
“Such meetings should be regular for Russia’s political leaders,” Medvedev told a news conference here on Tuesday. “I hope the term “off-system opposition” will soon be a history because if a country has an opposition, which is acting under the law, it is systemic in any case.” The opposition might be “hard-line, radical, or moderate but still it is a legal opposition,” he said “And those who violate laws are criminals rather than systemic opposition.”
According to the Russian leader, it is high time Russia has a systemic opposition and this issue was raised during his previous meeting with leaders of unregistered political forces. He said he hoped a new law on political parties will be passed in Russia soon. “Obviously I will sign such a law,” he stressed.
“I would like to meet and talk to leaders of political forces that want to be registered. There are much more of them than were present at our first meeting,” he noted. The country’s leaders, in his words, should regularly organize such meetings “not only with parliament parties, but with representatives from other political forces, because they reflect the whole spectrum of opinions in the country.”
Such meetings, he said, might be “useful for the country’s leaders,” who should try to take into account the opinion of “those political forces that criticize the power.” It will be vital for “developing civil society,” he noted.
According to media reports that have not yet been officially confirmed, such a meeting is due early next week. It will be the second meeting of the Russian head of state with opposition leaders.