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EXPERTS COMMENT ON PUTIN'S STATEMENT AT GOVERNMENT SESSION

MOSCOW, September 13 (RIA Novosti) - Putin's ideas of the procedure for elections of supreme officials in Federation members will have "both positive and negative consequences, with negative consequences becoming prevalent with time," Sergei Markov, director of the Institute of Political Studies, said on Ekho Moskvy.

Speaking at the enlarged session of the government on Monday, Vladimir Putin said that the top officials of Federation members should be elected by legislative assemblies upon the recommendation of the head of state.

Markov believes that "the president's idea should promote the consolidation of the authorities, above all by reducing corruption."

"The serious strengthening of political plurality and democracy in the country as a whole, in particular in the media, and serious measures taken to strengthen the civil society and civilian control of the authorities as a whole, should balance" the structure, the political scientist thinks.

"At the same time, it will put an end to the direct elections of governors, which will reduce the political prestige of the local authorities and seriously affect political plurality in the country as a whole," Markov added.

The president's idea is "a reaction to the recent terrorist attacks and the crisis of power in the Federation members, provoked above all by corruption," the scientist said. "Most experts believe that the crisis of power, first and foremost in the North Caucasus, is mostly taking place at the level of Federation members."

But Vyacheslav Nikonov, president of the Policy foundation, praised the president's idea as revolutionary. "Everyone expected changes in a situation when up to 80% of the heads of Federation members will retire in 2-3 years because their terms of office are expiring," he said. "The idea which Putin voiced was predicted by many, yet these changes are revolutionary."

"People whom the Kremlin did want to see in the posts have come to power in many Federation members," thinks the scientist. "And now, after the recent terrorist attacks, the strengthening of the state institutions, the power vertical, is becoming the favourite subject for the Russian leadership."

"In fact, Putin suggested creating an additional filter on the way to regional power in the person of the president and legislative assemblies of the Federation members," Nikonov said. "There will be many disputes about the expediency of this idea."

"In itself, democracy will not suffer from the introduction of this procedure because the appointment of the regional heads is a norm in most democratic states," he noted. "Yet it is doubted that this idea corresponds to the federative structure of the Russian state because the election of the heads of entities is a traditional feature, a sign of the federation. At the same time, it should be remembered that Yeltsin appointed governors within the framework of the current constitution."

"If this draft law is approved, the president will assume a much larger share of responsibility for developments in the regions," Nikonov said.

"Art the same time, the legitimacy of the regional authorities will diminish because the electorate will always view legitimacy granted from above and supported buy the legislative assembly as deficient with respect to legitimacy provided by the people."