Prime Minister Vladimir Putin

Russian Prime Minister and presidential frontrunner Vladimir Putin called for anti-corruption and pro-democracy measures in his new article, “Democracy and the Quality of State,” published on Monday in the Kommersant business daily.

In this article, he said that the fight against corruption should become a national issue. He proposed introducing administrative courts that will hear corruption cases. The actions of these courts will be broadcast online and transcripts of court hearings would be publicly available.

He also proposed creating a list of “corruption-prone” posts in the executive branch and the management of state corporations. The officials in this list would receive high salaries in return for their undertaking to be corruption free and for a transparent family life.

Putin proposed vesting citizens and netizens with a greater role in politics, including a chance to influence law making.