| The referendum law was passed with unprecedented speed The State Duma immediately adopted in the second and third, final reading the constitutional law “On Referendum”, which practically nullifies the possibility of holding all-Russian referendums, with the exception of those initiated by the authorities themselves.
If, according to the old version of the law, an initiative group of 100 people could submit a proposal to hold a referendum, now the minimum number of initiators has been increased to 4.5 thousand. The group should unite subgroups of one hundred people in half of the federal subjects. Within two months, members of the subgroups must have time to meet and discuss the referendum issue, after which the collection of signatures in support of the initiative begins, of which 2 million are needed. All signatures must be certified by a notary. The law allows 45 days for collecting signatures. In addition, the new version of the law prohibits submitting adopted bills to a referendum, as well as questions about the terms of office of the president or his impeachment. What struck the deputies most was the speed at which the law was passed. The document was introduced into the House by the President on May 19, then quickly passed all Duma administrations and the first reading. And last Friday, when the law was adopted, the State Duma did not even take a break between the second and third readings, which is required according to the regulations in the case when there are changes in the wording of the table of amendments.
Representatives of the opposition started talking about violations of regulations and that many amendments were not taken into account. “This is all politics. When there are no other arguments, they talk about a violation of the regulations,” Oleg Kovalev, chairman of the Committee on Regulations and Organization of Work of the State Duma, a member of the United Russia faction, told a correspondent of the Vremya Novostei newspaper. - The relevant committee reviewed everything within the established time frame. Moreover, the committee met and considered those amendments that were received after the deadline.” According to Mr. Kovalev, the law is necessary for the further development of democracy, since now only the most serious political forces and the largest parties will be able to hold a referendum, which means that the opinion of the majority will be better taken into account.
It is unlikely that the law “On Referendum” will repeat the fate of the law on rallies and processions, when the head of state intervened in the process and personally liberalized the document, acting as a defender of democracy. After all, the law on rallies came to the Duma from the government, an old and persecuted one, and the newly adopted initiative was introduced by the president and developed by the Russian Central Election Commission.
The communists believe that it was them that the authorities were afraid of, and therefore hastily prepared their initiative. Once the Communist Party already cut off oxygen when it was going to hold a referendum on the purchase and sale of land. Then, two years ago, a law was passed on a moratorium on referendums during federal election campaigns. Now the moratorium is ending, but the communists are not giving up, and they are even going to ask the people what they think about the government’s plans to cancel benefits. “The authorities do not want to listen to the opinion of the people. The rush to adopt this law is connected with preventing the government’s bill to abolish the system of benefits, which includes the destruction of the minimum wage and social guarantees for education, science, health and culture, from being put to a referendum, the deputy chairman told a Vremya Novostei newspaper correspondent. Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, State Duma deputy Ivan Melnikov. - In fact, the government's plans mean an unconstitutional revolution in social policy. This is not a new law on a referendum, but a law on how to prevent citizens from influencing the processes taking place in the country through the referendum mechanism, first of all, to prevent opposition to these anti-social government initiatives.”
Independent deputy Vladimir Ryzhkov announced his intention, with the participation of other opposition-minded colleagues, to challenge the law in the Constitutional Court. “The prospects for the request are not bad,” Mr. Ryzhkov told a correspondent for the Vremya Novostey newspaper. -- The new law significantly complicates the constitutional right of citizens to initiate a referendum. And according to the Constitution in Russia, laws cannot be passed that worsen the situation with the rights of citizens. In addition, the decision of the Constitutional Court is already in effect, according to which, taking into account the moratorium on the referendum, there should be at least two years left when the popular will can be expressed. If we count the procedure described in the law on the referendum as a minimum, then it works out to two years, but if we consider it as a maximum, it won’t. The Constitutional Court can meet us halfway and rely on maximum, rather than minimum, terms.” Ksenia VERETENNIKOVA |
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