Putin calls for new ways of direct communication with voters

FOROS, Ukraine, July 25 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin, who is the leader of the United Russia party, believes that an
election campaign never ends. Since the prime minister doesn't count much
on other election technologies, he prefers personal communication with
voters.
Putin says the fact he doesn't have a party membership card doesn't
prevent him from solving tasks facing the United Russia party.
"The party has quite an effective mechanism of internal interaction
and communication with the party leadership. We hold conferences every
quarter," Putin told Russian journalists in Foros, the Crimea, on
Saturday, July 24.
Putin said that the fact that he was not the party member was not
restricting his party influence. "We are in permanent contact and let me
assure you that this is absolutely enough," he added.
Putin noted that a new election campaign started the moment the
previous one was over. "In my view, the election and pre-election
technologies are not quite effective," he emphasized.
"At first, I was sceptical about the mechanism of public liaisons
offices in regions and even the mechanism of personal contacts as the
party leader. But now I see that I, for example, receive a lot of letters.
Sometimes, I read them and try to solve concrete problems of concrete
people. And this mechanism works," Putin added.
At the same time, Putin called for searching for new additional forms
of direct communication with voters and working out more effective methods
of responding to citizens' problems and needs.