MOSCOW () -- Court rulings are often ignored even by authorities, and the judiciary has a long way to go before becoming a strong, independent branch of power, a Constitutional Court judge said Thursday.


"Fulfillment of the courts' decisions remains a major problem," Vladimir Tumanov told a news conference. "The government must realize that the failure to ensure the execution of the court's ruling erodes its own authority."


Local officials frequently ignore unfavorable court rulings, and the government takes no steps to punish them, Tumanov said.


The authorities also often violate federal laws, passing conflicting legislation, and the central government does not move to settle these conflicts, he said.