Gorbachev calls for referendum on constitutional reform.

The former Soviet President, Mikhail Gorbachev, has called for a national referendum in Russia on a political and constitutional reform to end “Caesarism” and assert “people power.”

Mr. Gorbachev said recent mass protests against the rigging of the December parliamentary election pointed to a serious political and constitutional crisis in Russia. “People want more than just replacement of individuals responsible for the falsifications, they demand an overhaul of the political system,” he wrote in a keynote article published on Saturday in the Novaya Gazeta, an opposition newspaper he helps finance through the Gorbachev Foundation.

“The paramount strategic task is to change the character of power relations in order to rule out monopolization of power by any individual or a group of people,” Mr. Gorbachev said, adding that the political regime in Russia “is alienated from society, secluded and focused on self-preservation.”

The last Soviet leader, who supported Vladimir Putin during his first years as President, has recently harshly criticised him for having built a fossilised corrupt political system that “imitates” democracy. He denounced Mr. Putin's decision to reclaim presidency in presidential elections due in March.

Mr. Gorbachev said the December parliamentary election showed a swing towards social-democratic values. He called for setting up a new party capable of renovating the Russian Constitution along democratic lines.

He proposed the following question for a referendum: “Do you support a political and constitutional reform that would eliminate Caesarism and guarantee people power?”

However, during Mr. Putin's presidency Russian legislation was modified to make it practically impossible to initiate a federal referendum.

Tens of thousands of Russians took to the streets in December to protest the election fraud and demand democratic reforms. More protests have been scheduled for next Saturday.