MOSCOW, January 15, 5:59 /ITAR-TASS/. The faction of the United Russia party (URP) in the Moscow City Duma (MCD) legislature has referred amendments to the Electoral Code of Moscow and to the Law on Moscow City Electoral Commission to the capital's parliament for consideration. The amendments envisage the holding of elections to the Mosow city legislature in September this year in 45 single-seat electoral districts.
In accordance with the Federal Law 303, dated November 2, 2013, "On the Introduction of Amendments to Individual Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation", which grants the cities of Federal jurisdiction the right to determine independently a type of electoral system applied at the election of deputies to legislative (representative) state government body, the bill suggests establishing a majority electoral system at election of deputies to the MCD.
A press release on the website of the MCD reads, "The majority system of the formation of parliament does not prevent the formation of factions of political parties and deputies' groups. At the same time it allows, on the one hand, observance of the principle of people's power to the maximum, and, on the other hand, the ensurance in the deputy's work the priority of interests of the electorate of the territory from which he was elected, and the solution of actual practical matters (including economic ones) of the city".
If elected in a single-seat district, the deputies get the mandate directly from the electorate, not from political parties.