FreeMediaOnline.org Truckee, CA, USA, May 7, 2011– In an interview for RIA Novosti Valdai Discussion Club, Free Media Online Director Mario Corti said that unless Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev runs for and wins a second presidential term, his reform agenda will not be carried out and his presidency will be viewed as unsuccessful. Corti believes that despite recent apparent disagreements on certain issues between Medvedev and Russia’s prime minister and some verbal skirmishes between the two leaders, the political course previously set by Vladimir Putin still remains substantially unaltered.
Corti, an Italian journalist and writer who had been Director of Radio Liberty Russian Service, said that political power in Russia is still split between Medvedev and Putin, democracy is heavily “managed,” and Russia has not moved significantly beyond the model of state capitalism. According to Corti, Medvedev’s “modernization program” and his other suggested reforms are still in the early stages of implementation. A decisive anti-corruption drive has yet to be launched, and the judiciary, as Medvedev has himself admitted on several occasions, is not independent, Corti said.
Mario Corti told RIA Novosti that if Medvedev really stands by his agenda and if he is truly confident that his reforms are a priority for Russia, then he must run for the second term, even if this means running against the powerful prime minister.
http://en.rian.ru/valdai_op/20110506/163884507.html
Free Media Online (FreeMediaOnline.org) supports media freedom and independent journalism. Mario Corti serves as one of Free Media Online directors and is a member of its International Advisory Board.