Russian leaders make pro-democracy pledges Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev sought to appease Russia's protest movement on Monday as the anti-Kremlin mood in the country's urban centres showed little sign of abating. The seemingly co-ordinated moves by the prime minister and the president appear to be an attempt to take the wind out of the sails of the movement, which pulled together up to 100,000 supporters in central Moscow on December 24 and may exceed that total in a planned February 4 demonstration in the city. In an article in the pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia, Mr Putin sought to dissuade protesters from "overthrowing the old without building anything new," something the premier said was at the root of Russia's problems. He also set out his vision for a third presidential term - the first time he has done so since announcing in September that he would stand in March. The article was loaded with buzzwords such as "democracy," "initiative" and "change." Russia's economic growth meant "expanding freedoms for each of us," he said, adding that the "engine of growth is the initiative of citizens. We will lose out if we count only on the decisions of officials and a narrow circle of big investors and state companies. The pro-democracy message was taken up by Mr Medvedev, who on Monday submitted a draft bill to parliament reinstating elections for the governors of Russia's 89 far-flung regions. Governors have been appointed by the president since 2004 after a decree by Mr Putin, then president, designed as an antiterrorism measure. The gubernatorial elections are one of the key demands of many Russians tired of arbitrary rule by corrupt autocrats sent out from Moscow. However, opposition leaders said Mr Medvedev's initiative was not enough. There have to be fundamental reforms in a variety of areas - freedom of the press, independent courts, reform of the election commission. These areas have so far not been addressed," Vladimir Ryzhkov, an opposition leader, told the Financial Times. Mr Putin said in December that he would allow the election of governors as long as there was a "presidential filter," or veto. The bill submitted by Mr Medvedev contained no mention of a veto, referring only to consultation between political parties and the Kremlin. A Kremlin official said the consultation would be non-binding and that there would be no "presidential filter" of candidates for governor. But observers said language on a presidential veto could be added by parliament. "The bill could come out of the Duma differently than it went in," wrote Kommersant, the Moscow newspaper.