Under the bill, Russian citizens would elect their regional leaders running independently or on a party ticket for a term of five years, the Kremlin said in a statement.
In the current system, the Kremlin chooses new governors from a shortlist presented by the ruling party. The appointment is then rubber-stamped by the local parliament.
The bill proposes instead that registered parties consult with the president on their candidates before their formal nomination -- something that the opposition has criticized for allowing the Kremlin to filter out unwelcome candidates.
"The parties will be able to nominate their candidates after consultations with the Russian president, the rules of which will be determined by the president," said the statement.
Russia abolished direct gubernatorial elections in 2004 during Vladimir Putin's
...Second President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Because of constitutionally mandated term limits he is the current Prime Minister of Russia. His sock puppet, Dmitry Medvedev, was installed in the 2008 presidential elections. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law. During his eight years in office Russia's economy bounced back from crisis, seeing GDP increase, poverty decrease and average monthly salaries increase. During his presidency Putin passed into law a series of fundamental reforms, including a flat income tax of 13%, a reduced profits tax, and new land and legal codes. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile...presidency, in a move that was strongly criticized by the opposition. The posts have been filled by presidential appointment ever since.
Russia was rocked by record protests after disputed parliamentary elections on December 4.
The next mass rally is scheduled for February 4, a month before the presidential polls where Putin is seeking a historic third Kremlin term.