MOSCOW. Dec 31 (Interfax) - The recent mass rallies demanding honest elections were an important result of this year, A Just Russia Party leader Sergei Mironov told Interfax on Friday.
"These events also confirmed the irreversible nature of ongoing changes in Russian society. I would mention the events on Bolotnaya Square and Sakharov Avenue among the important results of this year. They demonstrated society's discontent, people's realization of the need for changes in our life, in our political system," he said.
The mass protests against alleged voting fraud at the December 4 State Duma election, held on Bolotnaya Square on December 10 and Sakharov Avenue on December 24, showed to "the presumptuous and lying politicians" that their moment of glory had ended and would not return, Mironov said.
The December 4 election results showed that the time had come for such changes, and such changes had already started, he said.
"The decline of United Russia's monopoly on power" has begun, Mironov said.
"People either have stopped or are stopping to believe the 'party of power', or believe the authorities supporting this party in many ways. My question is: do the authorities realize the need for changes?" he said.
The authorities realize it because in the past few months and weeks both the president and prime minister have repeatedly spoken about the importance of adopting laws and measures, on which A Just Russia has insisted for a long period of time, Mironov said.
"It gives us hope that the country's leadership understands the need for changes, and the president's address (to the Federal Assembly) vividly demonstrated it. But we cannot rest as long as United Russia continues impeding all things new," he said.
MOSCOW. Dec 31 (Interfax) - The recent mass rallies demanding honest elections were an important result of this year, A Just Russia Party leader Sergei Mironov told Interfax on Friday.
"These events also confirmed the irreversible nature of ongoing changes in Russian society. I would mention the events on Bolotnaya Square and Sakharov Avenue among the important results of this year. They demonstrated society's discontent, people's realization of the need for changes in our life, in our political system," he said.
The mass protests against alleged voting fraud at the December 4 State Duma election, held on Bolotnaya Square on December 10 and Sakharov Avenue on December 24, showed to "the presumptuous and lying politicians" that their moment of glory had ended and would not return, Mironov said.
The December 4 election results showed that the time had come for such changes, and such changes had already started, he said.
"The decline of United Russia's monopoly on power" has begun, Mironov said.
"People either have stopped or are stopping to believe the 'party of power', or believe the authorities supporting this party in many ways. My question is: do the authorities realize the need for changes?" he said.
The authorities realize it because in the past few months and weeks both the president and prime minister have repeatedly spoken about the importance of adopting laws and measures, on which A Just Russia has insisted for a long period of time, Mironov said.
"It gives us hope that the country's leadership understands the need for changes, and the president's address (to the Federal Assembly) vividly demonstrated it. But we cannot rest as long as United Russia continues impeding all things new," he said.