MOSCOW — Russia’s outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev today proposed a law to restore the direct elections of governors, part of a raft of reforms promised after massive nationwide protests — though the bill still preserves a strong Kremlin role in the vote.

Medvedev’s powerful predecessor, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, oversaw a rollback in post-Soviet freedoms during his tenure as president, including scrapping gubernatorial elections in 2004. The Kremlin started appointing local governors directly and dissolving regional legislatures if they refused to confirm Kremlin nominees.

The opposition was immediately dismissive of the draft law, which comes after tens of thousands of Russians weary of one-party dominance took to the streets in the wake of fraud-tainted parliamentary election in early December.

The main Kremlin party United Russia lost a quarter of its seats in the vote, and opposition leaders and independent election monitors say United Russia only managed to retain its majority by fraud.

In an effort to stem the anger, Medvedev and Putin offered a set of reforms to allow more political competition in future elections.