Russian political leaders toy with idea of two-party or three-party system

The number of political parties in Russia may soon be "optimized", reported news agency Interfax on Friday, citing Russian president Vladimir Putin's statements at a meeting with the leaders of parties represented in Russia's parliament.

According to Putin, the alignment of political forces in Russia has become apparent, which offers a prime opportunity to "talk about some optimizing" the political arena. The president warned, however, against undertaking actions that could undermine "the essence of democracy as the will of the people."

After the elections to the State Duma, several Russian politicians came up with the idea of ​​reducing the number of political parties in Russia. The leader of A Fair Russia party Sergei Mironov suggested that a bipartisan system be formed in the Russia. Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky, in turn, called for the formation of a three-party system. Vladimir Putin himself spoke in favor of a multiparty system.

At a meeting with party leaders, Putin advised against taking careless steps or a rushed transition to a three-party system.