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The meeting discussed ways of organising the work of the Third State Duma and the forthcoming presidential elections.

A fair presidential election race, as well as equal opportunities for all presidential candidates, would help unite society, Mr Putin told journalists after the meeting.

According to Mr Putin, his interlocutors focused on setting up the executive bodies of the Third State Duma. Parliamentary parties and deputy groups will hold consultations on this issue in the near future.

The meeting also discussed the need for closer cooperation between the government and the State Duma, as well as the Federal Assembly’s more prominent role in legislative activity and in societal life, Mr Putin told journalists.

The acting president noted the need to strengthen the government’s role in law-making activity and said the government and the Second State Duma had accumulated some positive experience of such joint work. He said continuity of cooperation should be preserved whenever necessary. Everything that hinders our work must be left behind, whereas all that helps us move forward must be used in the future, Mr Putin stressed.

The meeting involved Gennady Seleznyov, the Second State Duma’s speaker, Gennady Zyuganov, chairman of the Russian Communist Party (KPRF), Yevgeny Primakov, leader of the Fatherland-All Russia election bloc, Pavel Krasheninnikov, one of the leaders of the Union of Right Forces, Sergei Shoigu, leader of the Unity interregional movement, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the Liberal-Democratic Party of Russia, Grigory Yavlinsky, leader of the Yabloko association, Nikolai Kharitonov, coordinator of the Agrarian Deputy Group, Nikolai Ryzhkov, coordinator of the People’s Power deputy group, Oleg Morozov, coordinator of the Russian Regions deputy group, Vladimir Ryzhkov, leader of the Our Home is Russia parliamentary party, and Viktor Chernomyrdin, leader of the Our Home is Russia movement.