Translated material
Two terms - no more
Governors will be taught to count
The Duma, it seems, has finally figured out the length of time the current governors will stay in power. Two terms in a row - and not a day more, regardless of whether any of the governors held office on the day of October 6, 1999. An exception was made for the heads of only those regions whose charters and constitutions did not contain any references to the number of presidential or gubernatorial terms.The date October 6, 1999 became the starting point because it was from this moment that the federal law on the general principles of the organization of power in the constituent entities of the federation came into force. The law enshrined the constitutional norm: one can be in power for no more than two terms in a row. It only remained unclear whether or not to count into “experience” the terms that all Russian governors managed to “accrue” before the law was introduced. In the fall of 2000, the Duma introduced an amendment to the law, which allowed a new countdown of terms for the vast majority of regional leaders. 52 governors (out of 89) have the prospect of a third term, and 17 - a fourth, despite the fact that their regional laws allow them to rule for only two terms.
Yesterday, the Duma members corrected this issue by adopting a new amendment to the law in the first reading. Term limits in 1999 were not provided for only in nine regions, which the Duma allowed to conduct a new countdown from the moment the federal law came into force. The presidents of four republics (Kabardino-Balkaria, Kalmykia, Komi, Tatarstan), the governors of four regions (Leningrad, Novgorod, Sakhalin, Tver) and the mayor of Moscow received a head start.
Having dealt with the “old” deadlines, the Duma members yesterday made another decision on this problem. Each governor was in power at the time the federal law came into force, that is, “serving his term.” Deputy Boris Nadezhdin (SPS) proposed not to count this term into the gubernatorial experience, independent deputy Vladimir Ryzhkov insisted on counting it. If the Duma members had supported Mr. Ryzhkov, then Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov would have been eliminated from the “nine”, losing his privilege. The deputies (370 votes in favor) were inclined to support Mr. Nadezhdin’s proposal.