Russia's Medvedev urges stronger role for civil society

By Oleg Shchedrov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian civil society groups should have a bigger role in forming policy and holding the government to account, president-elect Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.

Medvedev has promised to continue the policies of his mentor, outgoing President Vladimir Putin. But some observers have predicted the next president may adopt a more consensual style than former KGB spy Putin.

"Our task is to create a system which would allow civic structures to participate in working out state policy and appraising its quality," Medvedev told members Russia's Public Chamber, a consultative body of academics and public figures created under Putin.

Popular in Russia after presiding over eight years of uninterrupted economic growth, Putin is accused by his critics of clamping down on democracy and concentrating too much power in the Kremlin.

Putin's rule has been marked by growing restrictions on non-governmental organizations, especially those focusing on human rights and funded from abroad.

Medvedev said the opinion of minority groups represented by public organizations and professional unions should be taken into account.

"The voice of such groups should be heard in our society," Medvedev said. "There should be a practical mechanism for defending their rights and interests. Only in this way can our society can become truly harmonious."

Medvedev told the Public Chamber he wanted civil society groups to help scrutinize legislation before it came into force, saying officials were not always able to assess the social impact of new laws.