An Olive Branch from the Kremlin?

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday proposed legislation that analysts say could considerably weaken the power vertical he has spent the past 12 years erecting. In a draft bill submitted to legislators on Wednesday, Putin set out the principles by which the upper house of the Russian Parliament will be formed. This is his fourth attempt to reform the largely rubber-stamp chamber in 12 years.

A wave of massive protests that swept the country after the December parliamentary elections has forced the Kremlin to undertake some political reforms. Five days before leaving office, former President Dmitry Medvedev signed laws introducing gubernatorial elections and lowering requirements for running in parliamentary and presidential elections. But analysts said the measure, which Medvedev said would "raise the level of political culture," did not go far enough to enshrine the fundamental principle of democracy.

One of the shortcomings of Medvedev’s hasty political reforms, analysts say, is the absence of direct elections to the Federation Council. The latest amendments submitted by president Putin are expected to bridge that gap by instituting “direct elections” for senators. The current Federation Council, which cements Putin’s power vertical by routinely rubber-stamping all of the Kremlin’s legislative initiatives, is made up of two randomly chosen representatives from each of Russia’s 87 regions.