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Former Soviet1 leader Mikhail Gorbachev has accused Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of undermining democracy in Russia.
Gorbachev spoke2 to the BBC in an interview Thursday, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of a failed coup3 aimed at removing him from power. The coup attempt on August 19, 1991, and the events that followed led to the collapse4 of the Soviet Union.
The former Soviet leader said Putin's efforts to build stability have resulted in stagnation5. He said that while the former Soviet electoral system was nothing remarkable6, Putin's team, in his words, literally7 castrated it.
As president, Putin reformed the electoral system to allow Russians to vote only for political parties rather than specific candidates in parliamentary elections. He also ended the popular election of governors and independent lawmakers.
Gorbachev acknowledged that the Putin years have seen some successes, but said Russia now needs direct elections and new leadership.
Earlier this week, Gorbachev told The Guardian8 that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is being outmaneuvered and outsmarted by Putin, who is now prime minister. He said Medvedev's attempts to modernize9 Russia are blocked by his powerful prime minister.
Gorbachev turned 80 in March. He received the Nobel peace Prize in 1990, and is widely recognized for helping10 end decades-long East-West confrontation11.
The August coup of 1991 was defeated within 60 hours by pro-democracy crowds in Moscow that faced down tanks. Officials across the communist country abandoned the Soviet bureaucracy and pledged their loyalty12 to the newly elected Russian administration of Boris Yeltsin.
The huge multinational13 state soon fell apart as the constituent14 republics one after another demanded independence.
Gorbachev resigned on Christmas Day 1991, and the red hammer-and-sickle Soviet flag was pulled down from the Kremlin.
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1 Soviet | |
adj.苏联的,苏维埃的;n.苏维埃 | |
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2 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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3 coup | |
n.政变;突然而成功的行动 | |
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4 collapse | |
vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷 | |
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5 stagnation | |
n. 停滞 | |
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6 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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7 literally | |
adv.照字面意义,逐字地;确实 | |
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8 guardian | |
n.监护人;守卫者,保护者 | |
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9 modernize | |
vt.使现代化,使适应现代的需要 | |
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10 helping | |
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的 | |
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11 confrontation | |
n.对抗,对峙,冲突 | |
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12 loyalty | |
n.忠诚,忠心 | |
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13 multinational | |
adj.多国的,多种国籍的;n.多国籍公司,跨国公司 | |
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14 constituent | |
n.选民;成分,组分;adj.组成的,构成的 | |
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15 initially | |
adv.最初,开始 | |
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