Comments on the Democracy: Developing the Russian Model Report made up in the Political Technologies Center by the Institute’s of Modern Development request

1. The Report authors, for some unclear reasons, take no heed of the experience of real developing the real democracy that has become the outcome of the President’s-in-the-office Putin participation in the parliamentary elections, in role of the leader of a political party. In fact, this experience is attractive by its being but a shy step along the way to the premier-presidential model. It is clear, this experience contradicts the Report authors’ initial point, their idea of the strong state power has to be just the presidential one in Russia, but still, both theoretically and practically, it cannot be excluded that to provide the nation’s moral leader with the premier power might become a political practice.
2. The Report authors are right to state, ‘the Russians pattern their behaviors on Europe being the civilization model’ (including in the organizing their political life). But that means, the Russians - and first of all the young, active, talented Russians – value their country’s merit and quality by the quality and maturity of our political life. One of most active participants in the discussions from the audience has privately told me that the number of his friends who wished to leave the country has increased after our elective cycle of 2007 - 2008.
3. As follows from the above formulated long-term modernization objectives, it is the presidential power - and just it - can set the vector to involve wider strata of the society (primarily, the middle class) into transformative activities, to change accents in the economic model on innovative industries, thus stimulating entrepreneurship.