D.Grishkin

Representatives of parliamentary factions in the State Duma will soon have the right to make political statements at the beginning of plenary sessions of the lower house, Speaker Boris Gryzlov announced today. According to him, on Wednesday, deputies will consider the corresponding amendments to the State Duma regulations.

"Each faction can nominate a representative who will speak on its behalf on the current political situation for up to five minutes as part of the discussion of the agenda on Wednesday and Friday," Gryzlov said.

Previously, representatives of factions had this opportunity on Friday evenings during the so-called "statement hour," but it was often cancelled under the pretext of the large number of bills that needed to be considered that day.

The representatives of the opposition factions were not happy with the fact that the evening session at the end of the week usually takes place in a practically empty hall and without journalists. Therefore, even the acute issues raised by party members do not receive the necessary resonance in society.

The opposition negotiated this relaxation with the presidential administration and the State Duma leadership after a short revolt by deputies from three factions, who left the meeting hall in connection with falsifications in the regional elections on October 11. The amendments were supposed to be adopted in November, but United Russia refused to support them at the last moment at the chamber council, proposing to postpone the vote until December. The Communists and Liberal Democrats accused United Russia of "blurring" the problem.

The coordinator of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation faction, Sergei Reshulsky, says that five minutes is good, but too little: "Today, we need to talk about the results of the elections in Ukraine - that's one statement, but about the fact that somewhere in the country people were left without heat, it turns out we'll have to remain silent."

United Russia has also prepared for changes to the regulations. As a source in the party said, the first deputy secretary of the presidium of the general council Andrei Isaev, responsible for agitation and propaganda, was relieved of his party duties so that he could respond to statements from the opposition.

Duma opposition to get five minutes of freedom of speech