Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday he is confident that the Internet can help Russia transfer from representative to more direct democracy.
"I am absolutely confident that there will come an epoch of return from representative democracy to direct democracy with the help of the Internet," Medvedev said at a meeting with the pro-Kremlin United Russia party.
"We are all accustomed to the fact that traditionally, we have always regarded representative democracy as the highest form of democracy because there are deputies who represent the will of the people," he said.
Medvedev said the concept that representative democracy is best because "the people are not very experienced, and when democracy is carried out directly and straightforwardly some absurd decisions are taken" was "an outdated notion."
Medvedev said elements of direct democracy, including discussions of topical issues and expansion of democratic institutions, would transcend the Internet blogs to emerge into people's everyday lives.
"I am sure that in the future, politicians should be prepared for this," he said, adding that new democratic institutions would make their work more difficult, as "it is one thing to spin a story, but quite another when this is connected to the direct expression of the will of the electorate."
GORKI, May 28 (RIA Novosti)
