In his opinion, "we have weak parties now, and they are rather negatively perceived by society." "Without strong parties, there can't be a strong parliament," believes Mr. Veshnyakov.
Speaking about prospects of participation in the elections of small parties, Mr. Veshnyakov said: "Get ready for election campaigns beforehand, unite, overcome your ambitions, and if you can't, there's no need to seek authority in the Federal Assembly."
In the opinion of the Russian Federation's Central Election Commission, the aim of introducing a new system "is to remove the faults of the present mixed system which has been used since 1993."
State Duma Vice Speaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky (LDPR) believes the introduction of a proportional system of elections to the State Duma will "sharply reduce corruption," and will contribute to the creation of powerful political parties.
Mr. Zhirinovsky believes that regional parliaments should also be elected in line with a proportional system.
The vice speaker sharply criticized single mandate deputies. "Practice shows that not less than $500,000 can be given at elections in single-member constituencies," said Mr. Zhirinovsky, emphasizing that this created unequal conditions for candidates.
Besides, it is unclear what political views these people have, and what they are, added the deputy.
In the opinion of the leader of Liberal Democrats, six parties in parliament would be optimal.
The introduction of a proportional system of elections to the State Duma will really contribute to the establishment of the institute of a multi-party system in the Russian Federation, believes Vladimir Pligin, the head of the committee on constitutional legislation and state construction.
The deputy believes that the transfer to the proportional system of elections to parliament will make the mechanism that prevents criminal structures from penetrating into power more efficient. Mr. Pligin said "both parties and society will adequately assess candidates."
The head of the committee believes that at this stage of society development, the introduction of a proportional system will make it possible to introduce a cheaper mechanism of election campaigns.
"We hope such proposals will stimulate the development of the country's political system," Mr. Pligin concluded.
