Gorbachev generally likes Putin''s performance

     There are both positive and negative factors  to  President  Vladimir  Putin,  Former Soviet president MikhailGorbachev said, saying he attempts to be objective in his views.
     "I view his performance critically and with an understanding of the problems. I do not admire him feverishly, nor am I euphoric. I am making a political  analysis.  Things  done during the first term of his office can be considered historic: he brought an end to chaos, instability and, possibly,  the  disintegration  of the country," Gorbachev told a Monday press conference in Moscow.
     However,  "a  guided  democracy  is  spoken  of and I think certain elements of this have emerged," he said.
     He  criticized  the abolition of direct elections for gubernatorial posts.
     "There  were  certain  problems  with  some  governors who tried to retain office by non-democratic methods," he admitted.
     Putin  "is  trying  to  contain  the  radically liberal attitude to administration  and is probably encountering the lack of professionalism in the government," he sad.
     "Putin   sometimes,   or  even  frequently,  applies  authoritarian methods, but this is not authoritarianism. There would not be a regime a la Putin.  People  support  Putin  because  they  see that he wishes his country and fellow citizens well," he said.
     "In   general,   positive  factors  prevail  in  his  performance," Gorbachev said.

Interfax, February 13, 2006