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FC panel approves draft resolution on date for presidential polls

he head of the committee said the FC draft resolution contains the above-mentioned explanation

MOSCOW, November 24 (Itar-Tass) — The Committee on Constitutional Legislation of the Federation Council (FC) upper house of the Russian parliament on Thursday approved a draft resolution about the fixing of a date for the election of President of Russia. The document is to be brought up for House consideration at a plenary meeting on Friday, November 25.

Committee Chairman Alexei Alexandrov, when addressing colleagus, recalled, "In accordance with Article 102 of the Constitution, the FC is bound to fix a date for presidential elections. According to the Law on Election of President of the Russian Federation, the polling day is slated for the second Sunday of the month in which the previous elections (of Head of State) were held. Therefore, considering that last eletions were held in March 2008, the Election Day in 2012 must be March 11".

"However, Point 7 of Article 5 of the presidential election law stipulates that if that particular Sunday is a working day, polling should be fixed for the previous Sunday, namely, March 4," Alexandrov pointed out, drawing attention to the fact that a day-off was transferred from March 11 Sunday to March 9 Friday in accordance with the government decision made earlier this year.

The head of the committee said the FC draft resolution contains the above-mentioned explanation. He specified that the transfer of the polling date "fully accords with the Constitution and the Law on Elections".

Committee Deputy Chairman Alexander Savenkov added, "The Committee has thoroughly studied (the text of the decision) from legal and legislative points of view". "I uphold the bringing of the document in such a form up for House discussion at a plenary meeting on Friday, November 25," he said.

During an ensuing voting, all Committee members unanimously spoke out in the same vein.