MOSCOW, March 19, ITAR-TASS/. Crimea and the port city of Sevastopol, which are now parts of Russia, will receive the status of a republic and a city of federal significance, respectively, judging from the draft of a federal constitutional law “On Adoption of the Republic of Crimea into Russia and the Formation of New Constituent Entities - the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, a city of federal significance, in the territory of Russia.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted the bill to the Russian State Duma on Wednesday March 19 .
The names of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol will be included in part 1 Article 65 of the Russian Constitution.
Under the Russian Constitution, amendments to Article 65 that defines Russia’s territorial framework will be included in the fundamental law on the basis of a federal constitutional law on adopting a new constituent entity into Russia and changing its constitutional and legal status.
The presidential bill says that Crimea joined Russia following the results of the March 16 referendum on Crimea’s status in which most people voted for Crimea’s re-unification with Russia with the rights of a constituent entity; the Declaration of Independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as well as the Treaty for Crimea’s re-unification with Russia and the creation of two new constituent entities in its territory as well as the initiatives of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, a city of federal significance, to join Russia.
The bill says that the Republic of Crimea becomes part of Russia since the day the Treaty on re-unification was signed.
The Republic of Crimea has three official state languages: Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar.
The bill also suggests setting the territorial boundaries of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol and recognizing citizens of Ukraine and persons without citizenship who permanently reside in the territories of Crimea and Sevastopol as Russian citizens.
The document also regulates the formation of state power bodies in the new constituent entities and the functioning of local self-government bodies in their territories as well as other issues linked to the integration of Crimea and Sevastopol into the Russian economic, financial, credit and legal systems.
The draft law provides for a transitional period that ends on January 1, 2015.
The explanatory note to the document says that it takes account of the principles of Russia’s federative form of government, human rights and civil liberties as well as historical and cultural bonds linking Russia’s constituent parts and their socio-economic opportunities.
Appropriations to finance the implementation of the constitutional law will be made from the federal budget.