Russia should gradually switch to the representation of several political parties in power, President Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with business daily Vedomosti.

“I think that we should move toward a society based on a balanced representation of several parties in power. Ultimately, parties that would replace each other in power...” Medvedev said.

Medvedev said he was sure that “the presence of rivaling forces ultimately revitalizes the situation.” Political competition is necessary to prevent authoritarian or totalitarian tendencies from developing, the President said. He also said he believed that competition would not weaken the state if carried out under the law.

Russia’s ruling United Russia party controls 70 percent, or 315 out of 450 seats, of the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, and dominates regional parliaments.

Medvedev also criticized the country’s judicial system, but said it was wrong to narrow the situation down to the case of oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev, who were first sentenced to 8-year prison terms for tax evasion and fraud and recently sentenced to six additional years in prison for embezzlement and money laundering. The President declined to comment on the verdict while the legal process is still pending.

“It is not right to narrow the situation in the justice system down to the issue of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev, but it is necessary to look at the practice of using criminal laws for economic violations,” Medvedev said. He said there were some businessmen in Russia who committed minor crimes but were imprisoned for 10-15 years. The President also called for increasing the responsibility of judges.

Speaking about his participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Medvedev said he had decided to shorten his time in Davos because of the terrorist attack at the Domodedovo Airport, but believes it is important to take part in the forum to promote modernization in Russia.

The President’s speech in Davos addressed “all those who are interested in developing economic ties with Russia, investing in Russia, setting up joint ventures, and looking for new points of growth.” “We really are expecting investments, we want quick recovery and growth after the crisis period,” Medvedev said.

Turning to the economic modernization of Russia, Medvedev said that state institutions did not always have a positive impact on the modernization process and were often slowing down the process. That’s why economic modernization requires the modernization of political institutions, he indicated. “I do not mean that our whole political system should be changed,” the President said. “...it (Russia’s political system) is still very young and has its good and bad sides. It means that we have to look at the political institutions while carrying out our economic modernization,” he said. However, it doesn’t mean that it is enough to change political institutions for the country to have another economy, Medvedev also said.

The President further noted he was concerned about capital outflows from Russia and was planning changes in legislation aimed at improving Russia’s investment climate.

Speaking about fighting corruption, Medvedev admitted that there was almost no success. However, there are still some achievements, such as the creation of a set of anti-corruption laws, the work of the Anti-Corruption Council, and the introduction of auditing officials’ income, Medvedev said.