Russian Internet to have portal promoting civic initiatives

An Internet-based platform for promotion of public initiatives will be launched on Tuesday. The Russian Civic Initiative project will be implemented by the Fund of Information Democracy, headed by Russia’s former Minister of Communications Ilya Massukh. The presidential order of May 7, 2012 ordered to offer a system, which would promote public suggestions, supported by 100,000 signees. Vladimir Putin voiced the idea in one of his election articles. The Fund of Information Democracy managed to implement the project ahead of the time limit in the presidential order. The document of March 4, 2013 reads the system should be launched at the federal level by April 15, and at the municipal and regional ones - by November 1. “Today, we shall launch the platform for all the levels,” the Fund’s press service told Itar-Tass. The source added, however transfer for further analysis at governmental expert groups of the initiatives supported by the required number of votes would be available only from April 15 and November 1 respectively, in compliance with the presidential order. The presentation and launch of the Russian Civic Initiative system is due at 12:00 Moscow time on Tuesday. The Fund says registered uses of the portal of state services will be able to publish their initiatives during first minutes of the resource’s functioning.