MOSCOW, December 06. /ITAR-TASS/. The United Russia party is working on a procedure of personal party recommendations for candidates to be appointed to senior positions on all the power levels, the party's General Council Secretary Sergei Neverov told reporters on Friday.
It is already under consideration in detail this Friday at the meeting of the party's central control and audit commission, he said, commenting on Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's proposal he made in his televised interview on Friday.
According to Neverov, the need for such a procedure is discussed with the aim to introduce an additional level of responsibility for people nominated by the party for various positions.
The commission meeting on Friday will discuss mechanisms and a procedure. Then, the party's regional organizations will also discuss the subject and present their proposals, since such situations as in Astrakhan are reported mainly in regions, he noted.
Introduction of personal recommendations is directly related to openness of the party and its attention to moral and ethic issues, Neverov noted. "We focus on this in our internal party work," he added.
The issue of personal recommendations will be decided after mechanism are worked out with the participation of regional activists and the public, the party general council secretary concluded.
Prime Minister Medvedev said in his interview to television channels on Friday that it was necessary to bring officials who committed abuse to justice irrespective of their party affiliation. This particularly applies to United Russia members, he noted.
"As for those who are caught -- they must be brought to account irrespective of what party card they have in a pocket. United Russia all the more so must be brought to account, since the party is responsible for the situation in the country and is in power," Medvedev, who is the party's leader, said.
According to the premier, members of parties are the same people with all failings and merits. Being in power provokes abuses, he said. “Regrettably, such offences are committed by those who are in power, but not those who plan to come into power. So, because of this, authorities themselves must combat it,” he noted. .
As far as the Astrakhan mayor is concerned, the investigation is continuing and must be completed, Medvedev said.
The party must pay attention to this problem. Suspected people just must not be on lists for elections, he noted.
Under consideration is introduction of preliminary recommendations for party and state positions. "If you recommend somebody, you must be responsible for the person at least morally, if not legally," the premier said.
Party membership suspension is already imposed. If the person proves the suspicions are groundless, the party membership is suspended, and if not, the person is expelled, he said.
The Astrakhan mayor from the United Russia party was detained in November on suspicion of taking a ten-million-ruble bribe.