Gorbachev Says Putin Obstructs Democracy

Image via Wikipedia

MOSCOW — Mikhail S. Gorbachev, who once supported Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin, is voicing growing frustration with Mr. Putin’s leadership, saying that he had undermined Russia’s fledgling democracy by crippling the opposition forces.
“He thinks that democracy stands in his way,” Mr. Gorbachev said.
“I am afraid that they have been saddled with this idea that this unmanageable country needs authoritarianism,” Mr. Gorbachev said, referring to Mr. Putin and his close ally, President Dmitri A. Medvedev. “They think they cannot do without it.”
In an interview, Mr. Gorbachev even described Mr. Putin’s governing party, United Russia, as a “a bad copy of the Soviet Communist Party.” Mr. Gorbachev said party officials were concerned entirely with clinging to power and did not want Russians to take part in civic life. More at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/world/europe/27russia.html?_r=1&ref=world

Related articles

• Gorbachev Says Putin Obstructs Democracy (nytimes.com)
• Gorbachev on problems in Russia (bbc.co.uk)
• Gorbachev: Afghanistan Could Become Vietnam 2 (news.sky.com)
• Mikhail Gorbachev: victory in Afghanistan is 'impossible' (telegraph.co.uk)
• Gorbachev: Afghanistan Victory "Impossible" (cbsnews.com)
• Gorbachev in Nato Afghan warning (bbc.co.uk)
• Russia Risks Mass Unrest Under Current Regime, Gorbachev Says (businessweek.com)
• Nobelist and Andropov Acolyte Slaps Russia's Leadership Duo (reason.com)