Putin Defends His Political Reforms (Talk about Bushspeak!!)

[Gloria]

From the new World Media Watch.......Tomorrow at Buzzflash.com

5//The Moscow Times, Russia Friday, November 19, 2004. Page 1.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2004/11/19/001.html



PUTIN DEFENDS HIS POLITICAL REFORMS

By Francesca Mereu and Simon Saradzhyan, Staff Writers



President Vladimir Putin defended his course of political and electoral reforms Thursday, asserting that the changes will streamline public administration and consolidate the country in the face of terrorism without curtailing democracy.



Putin spoke with journalists from three national television channels and met with pro-Kremlin State Duma deputies to reiterate his commitment to pursue his reforms, which include scrapping the popular vote for regional leaders, eliminating independent races in Duma elections, and obtaining the right to disband regional legislatures.



"I don't think so," Putin said when asked by Russia anchor Nikolai Svanidze whether the changes would roll back democracy in Russia, according to a transcript of the interview posted on the Kremlin's official web site.

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