Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev is harshly criticizing Russia's political system, saying that the nation's leaders have steadily rolled back the democratic achievements of his rule.

Gorbachev accused Russia's current government of trying to consolidate its grip on power and stifle opposition voices, but avoided specific mention of President Dmitry Medvedev or his predecessor Vladimir Putin, who is now prime minister.

Gorbachev says Russia's tightly orchestrated politics now evoke the Soviet era, when lists of parliament members were compiled by the Communist Party leadership for rubber-stamp elections.