Moscow, 10 June: The first deputy head of the Presidential Administration, Vladislav Surkov, has said that it is necessary to make the authorities more open.

"The authorities of all levels should be more open," Surkov said speaking at an all-Russia meeting with heads of municipal entities - centres of the federation's constituent parts.

A statement posted on the official website of One Russia on Wednesday (10 June) reads that members of the One Russia party took part in the meeting.

"The first deputy head of the Presidential Administration has described the need to intensify public politics as one of the main tasks," reads the statement.

"Our priorities don't change," the party website quotes Surkov as saying. The first deputy head of the Presidential Administration said that the country is going through a "difficult period of economic crisis", and thanked the heads of municipal entities for supporting the president's policy.

Discussing a recently adopted law concerning the principles of local self-governance in the Russian Federation, Surkov said that "for the authorities of all levels there should be a mechanism of accountability, that is to say, norms of civilized departure (in accordance with the law a mechanism for early removal from post of heads of municipal entities by local parliaments has been approved - Interfax)".

"We however will not allow this law to be used for settling personal scores," the One Russia website quotes Surkov as saying.