MOSCOW, May 15 (Itar-Tass) — A Just Russia faction on Tuesday brought forward a bill proposing expulsion for violation of discipline and revocation of the parliamentarian's mandate.
"It is planned to add the amendments, drawn by a group of lawmakers led by deputy speaker from A Just Russia Nikolai Levichev, to the law on the status of the member of the State Duma and the Federation Council.
Under the document, a State Duma lawmaker expelled from a faction cannot join another action or any lawmakers' blocs. "This lawmaker can only be a member of the political party on whose federal list he or she won a seat in the parliament," the authors of the bill said.
Non-compliance with the above requirements might become groundwork for terminating the State Duma lawmaker's mandate.
On Tuesday, A Just Russia suspended four of its members who had supported Dmitry Medvedev candidacy for the post of prime minister on May 8.
The faction discussed the breach by Alexei Mitrofanov, Leonid Levin, Dzhamaladin Gasanov and Nikolai Lakutin of the consolidated decision on voting on Medvedev.
"They were banned from attending the factions' sessions and are deprived of the rights of the faction members, such as submitting proposals on the agenda, participating in the faction's events, electing or being elected to executive posts, initiating "round table" discussions, seminars and conferences, the official website of A Just Russia said.
But United Russia was sceptical of the bill.
Deputy chairman of the house committee for constitutional legislation and state development Dmitry Vyatkin /United Russia/ told Itar-Tass that in his opinion, the document was "excessive."
Noting that it is premature to predict how the State Duma might vote, Vyatkin reminded about the "present procedure under which a lawmaker loses his mandate only if he tries to become a member of other faction; i.e. it preserves "a certain inter-faction status quo and keeps the number of persons in the faction constant."
"Undoubtedly, it gives no opportunity to fully control lawmakers from this or that faction, where a button "not pressed during the voting" - to put it bluntly – envisions expulsion from the faction and consequently, the loss of the lawmaker's mandate," he underlined.
"I believe we might keep the existing procedure," Vyatkin said, reminded about the ruling by the Constitutional Court on a similar case. "It was at the regional level, through, but it might be applied to the federal one," he said.
The lawmaker said he understood the faction’s decision to punish its five members, but suggested "they have it out between themselves."