WASHINGTON, May 6: The United States should examine its own democratic shortcomings before criticizing Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin says in a CBS interview. “In Russia, the president is elected through the direct vote of the whole population. That might be even more democratic,” said Mr Putin in an interview to be broadcast on Sunday on CBS’ “60 Minutes” program.

By contrast, in the United States, voters cast their ballots to “elect the electors and then they vote for the presidential candidates.” Mr Putin recalled that Mr Bush’s 2000 White House win came after a controversial decision by the US Supreme Court.

“Four years ago your presidential election was decided by the court. The judicial system was brought into it. But we’re not going to poke our noses into your democratic system because that’s up to the American people.”

“Democracy cannot be exported to some other place” but “must be a product of internal domestic development in a society,” the Russian president said. —AFP