MOSCOW, May 18 (Itar-Tass) — State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin called for the debates on a bill for a tougher administrative responsibility for violations at rallies, but only after additional parliamentary consultations. “The bill should be debated. The legislation, which regulates the rallies, is imperfect. Additional consultations should be held,” he said, opening a plenary meeting of the State Duma.
Naryshkin offered to delay the debates on this bill, which was preliminarily put on the agenda of a plenary meeting of the State Duma on Friday. His initiative was welcomed with applauds.
The final decision for the postponement of the bill will be taken during the debates on the agenda. The State Duma is expected to debate the first reading of the bill on May 22.
“Since the bill is resounding I offered to delay the debates on the bill to next week, as it is put on the agenda today at the 27th position, and there is some probability that it will not be debated, or we will have some time to do it only at the end of the workday,” Naryshkin confirmed to journalists later. “Secondly, it should be debated, because all factions share the opinion, that our legislation, which regulates the procedure of rallies, is imperfect. The organizers are not motivated to bear responsibility for the order during mass rallies,” he explained. Meanwhile, “we will have some more time for consultations with the factions to prepare additional initiatives, which particularly concern the problem what to take as a violation in organizing and holding of rallies,” the speaker said. “My colleagues agreed with this proposal, and I state about this at a plenary meeting of the State Duma,” the State Duma speaker said.
Leader of the A Just Russia faction Sergei Mironov confirmed to journalists the debates on the bill “are delayed to next week.” Meanwhile, he noted after the consultations with Naryshkin that A Just Russia did not change its position not to support this bill. Meanwhile, the question whether the A Just Russia faction will leave a plenary meeting during the debates on this document in the first reading, remains open.”We will discuss this in the faction,” Mironov said.