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Former finance minister believes Russia experiencing political crisis

United Russia still tries to exploit the incomplete representation of the society in parliament and restricts the nomination of candidates, he said

MOSCOW, June 26 (Itar-Tass) — Former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin believes that Russia is experiencing a political crisis. He said so at the Civil Initiatives - Time to Act conference in Moscow. The conference was organized by the civil initiatives committee he heads.

"There is a political crisis in Russia because of considerable mistrust and the authorities' alienation from the society in the person of the leading parliamentary party," Kudrin said.

He underlined that the Opposition was not only found in Moscow or St Petersburg.

"The effect of the petrodollar narcosis which is seeping into our economy is ceasing. We expect a decrease in oil production, while oil prices will not grow as they were growing in the past decade," the formed finance minister warned, adding that "the authorities do not realize yet that they are experiencing an institutional crisis."

Kudrin also criticized the domestic political system. "The gubernatorial election idea has reached us truncated." United Russia still tries to exploit the incomplete representation of the society in parliament and restricts the nomination of candidates," he said.

The recently adopted law that toughens responsibility for violations at rallies does not conform to the world experience and recommendations worked out by the office for democratic institutions and human rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, he went on to say.

However he believes "we still have a chance to transfer our political system peacefully." To his end, the civil initiatives committee intends to support a number of civil society development projects in the regions at "the network level," and provide expert assistance to mayors, municipalities, and regional authorities.