Certain Opposition Demands Reasonable – Medvedev

MOSCOW, November 14 (RIA Novosti) – Certain issues and demands, voiced by the Russian opposition, are reasonable, and the authorities should take an appropriate action on them, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said.

“It seems to me that, firstly, the fact that the civil society has become more active is a positive thing, and, secondly, that certain issues that are being voiced [by the opposition] are probably reasonable and the authorities should take action on them,” Medvedev said in an interview with the Finnish media ahead of his visit to Finland.

“Thirdly, any demand voiced to any authority should be expressed in an adequate, lawful way. Rallies and protests are absolutely normal, but they should take place in a proper location, on the basis of relevant legal norms, which exist in every country, and without violating the law. If it all happens like that, then this is what is called with an ancient and quite brief word “democracy,” – the premier went on.

Medvedev, who heads the ruling United Russia, said that despite “intense political rivalry” his party enjoyed wide popular support during the October 14 local elections, and won gubernatorial elections in all the five regions where they were held. It was the first direct elections of governors since the Kremlin restored the popular vote for regional chiefs, scrapped during Putin’s 2000-2008 presidency.

“Will it always be like that? No, I think it won’t. Mature, experienced and tough [political] opponents will emerge, and they will be able to win. Well, this is also a positive thing, though, of course, every party tends to defend its [political] weight,” he said.