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Putin to hold a meeting with the leaders of the non-parliamentary parties

© ITAR-TASS/Mihail Mettsel

MOSCOW, November 20, 1:16 /ITAR-TASS/. President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting with the leaders of the non-parliamentary parties here on Wednesday, the Kremlin press service reported.

A press service official said, "The Head of State and the leaders of the so-called little parties will discuss the development of political competition in Russia, a broader range of different political forces represented in the state authorities and local self-government bodies and an opportunity of their running in federal elections".

Representatives of such parties as Civic Platform, Communists of Russia, Right Cause, Patriots of Russia, Republican Party of Russia - Party of People’s Freedom, Rodina (Motherland), Russian Party of Pensioners for Justice and Yabloko will participate in the meeting.

Presidential press secretayr Dmitry Peskov told Itar-Tass that Putin's conversation with the parties' leaders would be a continuation of a series of meetings between the Head of State and various political forces of the country.

"These consulations willl be held with an eye to preparation of a Presidential Message to the Federal Assembly (parliament), as well as within the scope of the continuous dialogue between the Head of State and the entire spectrum of political forces -- both those represented in parliament and non-represented ones," Peskov said.

Putin is expected to address the Federal Assembly with an annual Message in the first half of December. A final date of the Address has not been announced so far.

Within the framework of consultations with various political forces, Putin has already met with the following party leaders: Sergei Mitrokhin of "A Just Russia" party, Vladimir Zhirinovsky of the LDPR, and Gennady Zyuganov of the CPRF.

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