MOSCOW, February 7 - RAPSI. The proposals regarding the judicial reform made by presidential candidate Vladimir Putin are well balanced and aimed at improving the situation, but they should be amended and better worked through, Mikhail Barshevsky, plenipotentiary representative of the Russian government in higher courts, told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com) on Tuesday.

"The set of measures proposed by Putin is right since it will definitely improve the judicial environment and enhance public confidence in the judicial system, but the present version is not full and insufficient," Barshevsky said.

In his pre-election campaign, Prime Minister Putin proposed to set up administrative courts to hear disputes between individuals and authorities, as well as organize a unified and an available precedent base of court decisions in the courts of general jurisdiction. Putin also proposes to relieve the "punitive trend" in the Russian judicial system and to adopt administrative legal proceedings not only for businesses but for disputes between individuals and officials.

The prime minister also expressed doubts as to whether it is reasonable to elect judges.

According to Barshchevsky, elective judiciary today is a premature measure. However judges may be allowed to appoint court chairmen. "Introduction of elective judiciary would be a mistake in current conditions, but the election of court chairmen by judges would be the right decision," the lawyer said.

He also stressed the need to "make justice more accessible" for people.