Russia reforms political party law

Russia’s state Duma, the lower house of parliament, passed a law simplifying procedures for registering political parties on the 23 March 2012, the first of a series of major political reforms promised by President Dmitry Medvedev.

Mr Medvedev had agreed to sponsor reforms in December 2011 in response to the largest anti-Kremlin demonstrations since the early 1990s, when tens of thousands of Russians took to the streets demanding democratic changes to Russia’s authoritarian political system.

ESO: Background information: Medvedev orders probe of vote rigging claims http://www.europeansources.info/record/medvedev-orders-probe-of-vote-rigging-claims/

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