MOSCOW, December 22 (Itar-Tass) —— Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev will make for the first time a state-of-the-nation address to the Federal Assembly on Thursday. Political topics must become a major part of it.
Voicing the address is the president’s annual obligation. Medvedev will remain in the office till May 2012, as a newly elected president takes over the power in the country.
In previous years, Medvedev addressed the Federal Assembly in November. But this time he decided to wait for the new State Duma to appear, in order to address new deputies, who were elected on December 4.
“I would like to present my programme address, which is a programme, to new deputies of the State Duma,” the president explained in late November. He explained that the lower house “will be working for next five years, and it is necessary for me to establish contact with them, especially since we have plans to continue the work as yet, if we receive a mandate from the people to manage the country both in the State Duma, and the presidential mandate.”
As it became clear in September, Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will run for presidency in 2012, and in case of his victory he will appoint Dmitry Medvedev the country’s prime minister.
Political topics are most likely to be a major part of the address. “As the acting president and as a person, who cares about future of the country, I am presenting my views on Russia’s political system. Not only have views, but also do clear things,” Medvedev said a week earlier.
The president said that in the address he would want to speak in more detail about how he sees the current situation, what his personal perception is, what he suggests undertaking in near and far future.
The State Duma’s new speaker, who used to be until recently head of the presidential administration, Sergei Naryshkin, confirmed on Wednesday that “in the annual state-of-the-nation address to the Federal Assembly Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev will suggest several clear initiatives, which favour further improvement of the political system.” Naryshkin said that “the State Duma’s objective is to realise, discuss them /the initiatives/, and in case of consent – to provide a legal background for the programme.”
Besides, Medvedev plans to “recap the activities and to outline plans for the future, to discuss how to continue modernisation of this country, our economy, our society, our political system.” “It should be a complex view,” the president said about the upcoming address. He said that he was working on the text together with his aides, governmental experts and representatives of the Big Government. “This is the new referent group, which I am using now,” the president explained.
The president is most likely going to mention a topic, which was in the previous year’s address - life and problems of Russia’s small citizens. At a meeting with teachers of kindergartens Medvedev said: “I shall prepare suggestions /on raising the wages/ and will voice them in the address to the Federal Assembly.”
The state-of-the-nation address is a major programme document, where the president outlines priority problems and ways of solving them, where he presents his position on main directions of interior and foreign policies. The upcoming address to the parliament will be made for the 18th time. The first one was presented on February 24, 1994. The ceremony of voicing the state-of-the-nation address to the Federal Council is organised in the Great Kremlin Palace. It lasts for about two hours.
By presenting the state-of-the-nation address, Medvedev does not say good-bye to the political elite and the country. “In the current time, at least, this would be my last address in the position of the president. Whether more addresses are to come or not – let’s see,” he said.