Medvedev Laments Russia's Democracy, Economy

Medvedev Laments Russia's Democracy, Economy
Medvedev: Russia's democracy weak, its economy ineffective, demographics bad

Russia's democracy is weak, its economy is ailing and the country faces long-term problems with the health of its population, President Dmitry Medvedev said in an article published Friday.
His comments were among the bluntest assessments to date on national shortcomings from the Kremlin, which is typically defensive about similar accusations. Medvedev criticized an economy that feeds solely off Russia's energy resources, a lack of competitive politics and excessive state influence in everyday life — all in an article that some observers said was an attempt to distance him from his mentor, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
"An ineffective economy, a semi-Soviet social sphere, a weak democracy, negative demographic trends and an unstable Caucasus. These are very big problems even for a state like Russia," Medvedev wrote in the piece, which ran in several leading newspapers and on the Kremlin Web site.
Rumors of divisions between Putin and Medvedev — dubbed a "ruling tandem" — have circulated for months. They have appeared to take different approaches to major issues such as policy toward Ukraine and restructuring the economy. Medvedev in the past has called for a more liberal approach to politics in Russia and expressed interest in breaking up some of the large state-corporations consolidated during Putin's tenure.
"This could be interpreted as a sign of difference in policy agendas between Putin and Medvedev," said Masha Lipman of the Moscow Carnegie Center.

<Article Truncated>
Read the entire article at: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=8544482