Interfax: Putin: direct gubernatorial elections a key political trend but specific features of regions must be taken into account

MOSCOW. Nov 20 (Interfax) – Direct elections of governors will remain a key provision of the Russian electoral system, President Vladimir Putin President Vladimir Putin has said.

“The right of voters to elect the heads of regions is the main political trend. We will undoubtedly follow it,” he said at a Wednesday meeting with the leaders of nonparliamentary parties in the Kremlin.

“The law gives regions the right to bring heads of regions to power through regional parliaments but we proceed from the belief that this should be connected solely with some specific conditions of a particular regions. I mean primarily the religions, ethnic composition [of the population]. For some republics in the North Caucasus this remains topical considering the political practices of previous years and even decades,” Putin said.

He stressed that people had to be given an opportunity to decide how it is more convenient for them to arrange their government system.