Russian President: Society And Authority Support Constitutional Court Independence Principle

The principle of independence and non-interference of the Constitutional Court in politics has been adopted and is supported by both society and authority, said the Russian president speaking Thursday in the Kremlin's Marble hall at a session devoted to the 10th anniversary of the Constitutional Court. According to the Russian president, the past years have shown that "the decision on setting up of a Constitutional Court was right and reasonable." "Its activity contributes to strengthening democracy and law," Vladimir Putin said. With the appearance of the Constitutional Court, he said, not only an efficient mechanism of the Constitution's upholding was established. "For the first time there appeared a state body in the country capable of limiting on the basis of the law both legislative and executive authorities, and sometimes to pacify politicians appealing to political expediency instead of law norms," said the president. According to Putin, in the person of the Constitutional Court "we have an instrument upholding the foundations of the Constitution, democracy, political system, federal state structure, common free market zone and freedom of entrepreneurship, as well as rights and freedom of man on Russia's whole territory."