#17
Leading right-winger praises Putin's comment on bureaucracy, army, citizenship
Interfax

Moscow, 16 May: Union of Right Forces (SPS) leader Boris Nemtsov shares the concern expressed by the president in his address to the Federal Assembly today that "Russia's bureaucracy is weak, greedy and uncompetitive."

Nemtsov told journalists on Friday [16 May] that at the same time, Vladimir Putin's message did not provide a recipe on how to heal the country's public administration system.

The deputy said that centrist factions "made a great mistake" when they voted in favour of the law on citizenship. "In effect, there are good reasons to revise the citizenship law, and people living in Russia should be granted Russian citizenship," Nemtsov said.

Meanwhile, he expressed optimism over the fact that the president recognized the need for the army's transition to a contract basis.

Nemtsov also praised Putin's offer to form the country's government "based on the results of parliamentary elections", adding that "this will allow political parties to get involved in tackling everyday problems of Russia's society".