MOSCOW, January 16 (Itar-Tass) — A Russian veteran of the Afghan war and a winner of the Guinness World Records Vladimir Vshivtsev became a member of the United Russia faction in the State Duma.
The Russian Central Elections Commission (CEC) has taken the decision to grant a vacant seat to him.
Vladimir Vshivtsev, a graduate of the Omsk Supreme All-Arms Command Academy, served as the commander of a reconnaissance squadron and was fighting in the combat actions in Afghanistan (1986–1987). He became blind after a heavy wound.
After the recuperation course Vshivtsev went in for professional sports. He became the Soviet Union swimming champion among blind people in 1989 and won the title of the world swimming champion in 1994.
Since 1993 he engaged in the parachuting sports that is the aerial acrobatics. He became a member of the Russian aerial acrobatics national team. In April 1995 he became the first blind man, who had made a free-fall jump and was put on the Guinness World Records.
Vshivtsev has the experience of work in the parliament. He worked as a deputy of the third State Duma and was a member of the Yedinstvo faction.
A seat became vacant in the State Duma after the death of deputy Vyacheslav Osipov.
The party, which has a vacant seat, decides to pass it to a candidate from the same regional group of the party election list, in which the previous lawmaker was included. If the party does not exercise its right to pass the vacant mandate within ten days, it is the Central Elections Commission to decide that a vacant mandate is passed in the order of sequence.
On Wednesday, the Russian CEC registered a new deputy of the State Duma Sergei Kuzin.
The elections of the sixth State Duma were held in December 2011, the term of the powers of the deputies is five years. Thus, the incumbent deputies are to work in the State Duma for next four years.