Vladimir Putin offered to ease the Kremlin's grip on Russian politics a bit in response to the biggest antigovernment protests of his 12-year rule, but he steadfastly refused opponents' calls to annul last week's disputed parliamentary elections.
The modest concessions, which would represent a partial restoration of the democratic institutions Mr. Putin rolled back during his first presidency from 2000-2008, are unlikely to satisfy the growing ranks of his critics.
Tens of thousands of Russians have taken to the streets following allegations of massive fraud—backed up by findings from local and international vote observers—in the Dec. 4 parliamentary vote, triggering the biggest mass protests against the Kremlin in more than a decade.
But in his annual marathon call-in show Thursday, which this year also became the unofficial kick-off for his campaign to return to the presidency in March, he flatly rejected calls to reconsider the vote results en masse.
"From my point of view, the result of the election undoubtedly reflects public opinion in the country," he said.
In nearly five hours of sometimes-pointed questioning carried live on national television and radio, Mr. Putin was both unusually respectful and crudely dismissive of his political opponents. He fired a string of barbs at the U.S., from accusations of complicity in the killing of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi to claims Washington wants "vassals, not allies" around the world. Though possibly sharpened by electoral politics, the comments seemed to confirm fears that Mr. Putin's return to the Kremlin will bring a stormier period in U.S.-Russian relations.
Mr. Putin is widely expected to win the Mar. 4 elections. In addition to the usual array of communist, socialist and nationalist challengers who have drawn relatively little support in recent elections, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov Thursday formally kicked off his run. Hoping to capitalize on the wave of anger among the urban middle class, Mr. Prokhorov said one of his first steps as president would be to pardon jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
In response to calls to open up the political system, Mr. Putin said he would consider loosening restrictive laws on party registration. He also called for restoring elections of regional governors—which were abolished during his first presidential term—though requiring candidates to be approved by the Kremlin. Similarly limited elections for members of the upper house of parliament also are under consideration, he said.
President Dmitry Medvedev—whom Mr. Putin mentioned by name only twice during the marathon session, according to the official transcript—said on a trip in Brussels that he, too, supported those proposals. Mr. Putin Thursday confirmed he plans to name his protégé prime minister once he takes office.
Boris Makarenko, an analyst at the Center for Political technologies, a Moscow political consultant, said the proposed reforms were clear results of the demonstrations. "For years, even talking about these was considered a political sin," he said.
"I heard some interesting elements," Mr. Makarenko said. "But I didn't hear a unified strategy from Putin the presidential candidate."
With no serious competitors in the campaign, "it's not a question of whether it's enough to win the election," he said. "The question is do the authorities understand society's demands well enough to be able to rule for six years."
Former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, a prominent economist who was forced out two months ago after publicly differing with Mr. Medvedev over spending priorities and has since called for political reforms, said Mr. Putin's comments on the elections weren't enough.
"The elections just held had major violations, and we have not yet heard an adequate answer from those responsible," Mr. Kudrin told reporters.
Mr. Putin, however, said the former finance minister remains part of the "team."
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