MOSCOW, March 13 (Itar-Tass) —Bills on political reform in Russia are being prepared hastily. The State Duma’s Council has cut timing for presentations of addendums for the second reading from the 28th to the 15th of March. Media believe it means the opposition would not be able to prepare its suggestions on reforming of the country’s political system.
Deputies are most likely trying to make happy the country with the new political system: the easier order of registration and every-day life of political parties, THE VEDOMOSTI writes. But for legislation which regulates organisation and work of parties rushing is not acceptable, the newspaper writes. People’s access to the market of political services depends on regulations in this sphere. They open /or, on the contrary, block/ legal channels of civil activity via ongoing participation in elections of various levels and via the opportunity of regular rotation of the power.
On Monday, the parliamentary majority decided to speed up finalising of the bills on the political reform, THE NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA reports. The opposition has protested, but in vain. “We are convinced that the ‘street’ has a request for renewing of political life in the country, not for hasty adoption of important laws,” the newspaper quotes First Deputy Speaker of CPRF /Communist Party of the Russian Federation/ Ivan Melnikov as explaining the decision of United Russia leaves only a couple days for the opposition to work.
CPRF’s Head of the Legal Service Vadim Solovyev said this is done to cut off the addendums which may turn Medvedev’s reform bills in those truly reforming. He continued saying that the reasons of United Russia, which as if had made the decision not independently, but following orders from the top, is quite clear: “The elections are over, the democracy is over.”
Another explanation of the hasty political reform is rumoured across the Duma. There is a supposition that exactly Dmitry Medvedev should be signing his package before he leaves the position in the Kremlin for Vladimir Putin. However, cutting the time limits for bringing the presidential package to perfection will affect not that much parliamentary parties, but rather the remaining opposition, the newspaper writes.
The newspaper explains that Medvedev’s bills fully and generally are aimed at more active participation of citizens in formation of power authorities. They open gates for mass registration of parties. After that, newcomers will have easier access to elections – via almost complete abolishment of the requirement to collect signatures, as the requirement remains only for non-parliamentary parties’ candidates nominated for presidential elections. Besides, they will have to collect not two million signatures, like it is requested now, but only 100,000. Thus, the landscape is quite different from the present one. Meanwhile, both President Putin and the State Duma of the sixth convocation, as well as a major part of regional top officials, judging by how quickly they are reappointed, will keep the old legitimacy. For example, Putin had not received a competitor Grigory Yavlinsky, who was sure to have corrected 100,000 signatures. There could have been other candidates, too, which means that a rerun would have been most probable – this is simple arithmetic.
THE NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA inquires – what will the power be doing after the reforms, which doubt its legitimacy: Director of the Centre of Research of Post-Industrial Society Vladislav Inozemtsev is sure this would not confuse it. The expert said that since laws are not retroactive, the authorities have no reasons to worry. “From the legal point of view, there are no doubts here.” As for the political aspect, he continued, “insinuations of the kind are possible of course.” Inozemtsev agreed, for example, that the Kremlin by having announced future elections of governors though by active re-appointments of the latter tries to as if repudiate possible negative consequences for itself.