MOSCOW, September 14 (Itar-Tass) — The scandal over a probable stripping of A Just Russia deputy Gennady Gudkov of deputy mandate over accusations in business activities still makes the headlines in the Friday newspapers. On Friday, the State Duma may take a decision to this effect. Meanwhile, the smear war between the deputies continues. Leader of A Just Russia Sergei Mironov may fall next victim of this smear campaign. The analysts do not rule out that the Kremlin can use the scandal in the State Duma as a pretext for dissolving the lower house of parliament.
On Wednesday, United Russia deputy Ilya Kostunov made public in his blog a reference from the common state register of legal entities, under which a certain Sergei Mikhailovich Mironov worked as the general director of the commercial company in 2009, the Novye Izvestia daily reported. The question that A Just Russia leader could have violated the law this way was raised urgently in the State Duma Council on Thursday, when the final date to consider the Gudkov case was set. Meanwhile, A Just Russia denies that the reference from the common state register of legal entities can be related to A Just Russia deputy Mironov. The document did not contain either the passport data or the address of the company’s founder. Looking through the telephone databases in Moscow and St. Petersburg one can find 40 people with the same name and surname as Mironov. Meanwhile, deputies from the Communist Party and A Just Russia Party have already requested the Russian Constitutional Court to investigate whether the voting for stripping Gennady Gudkov of deputy mandate is lawful. Some 58 deputies from each of two State Duma factions signed this address.
A dangerous virus is spreading in the State Duma that may undermine strongly the authority of the lower house of parliament that is not quite stable after all or may affect many deputies, the Rossiiskaya Gazeta daily reported. It is not ruled out that the Mironov case or that versus someone else not compulsorily from A Just Russia faction may follow the Gudkov case. The deputies are actively looking for dirt to discredit each other. It can hardly be said so far who will win in this smear war and whether any winners may emerge in it. However, ordinary people without the deputy status may be affected in it. They will have to live according to the laws, which the conflicting parties will exchange as gunshots, the newspaper believes.
The ruling party has chosen A Just Russia leader Sergei Mironov as another victim, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily reported. The latter is rebuffing a critical campaign against him so far, but the experts take the situation as a serious parliamentary crisis. The Kremlin does not hurry to shut down the Pandora box.
The morale in the United Russia Party is far from being triumphant. The party partisans are going with sad faces round the State Duma and they can be understood as in retaliation A Just Russia deputies filled the Internet with the dirt concerning their political rivals. A State Duma deputy told the newspaper that the deputies from the ruling party are worrying most of all. According to him, they are shocked with a blatant reprisal against Gudkov. They are seriously concerned that in some case the punitive mechanism practiced in the State Duma may be used for purges against them as well.
Meanwhile, a United Russia source noted that the authority of the State Duma is falling sharply. “The situation is similar to that in 1993, when the Russian parliament turned into a body, where the deputies did whatever they wanted, but did not solve real problems,” he said. The newspaper noted that no one is seeking to put the brakes on the scandal in the State Duma. On the contrary, the Kremlin source pledged that the documents, which are compromising the United Russia deputies, will be checked thoroughly and those guilty will be punished.
The Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily does not rule out the preparations to the dissolution of the lower house of parliament are behind an escalation of a current tense situation there. The newspaper recalled that the main claim of the opposition to the authorities, particularly to the incumbent president, is “unfair parliamentary elections”. Dissolving the State Duma, Vladimir Putin will kill many birds with one stone. Since only lazy people do not put in question the results of the December parliamentary election campaign in 2011. Some 100,000 people dissatisfied with the progress and the results of the State Duma elections came to the streets twice last December.
These peaceful demonstrations made the authorities reform election and party systems somehow. The ruling elite is still afraid of repeated protests, for the suppression of which the force cannot be used due to the fact that the protest actions may be massive.
Everyone will be happy about it, including the world community, particularly the US Department of State and the European Parliament. The most important thing is that the electorate will like this probable presidential decision. This is an act in the style of Putin, who will build up his image of a defender of people this way and will strengthen a bright image of a persistent fighter against the State Duma dragged in corruption. Meanwhile, the president will show that he is equally distant from modern politicians, who are obsessed with their own interests.
Finally, a probable early dissolution of the State Duma gives a guarantee that Vladimir Putin will not only stay at the presidential post for the whole tenure, but will retain the presidential post calmly in 2018. So, Kremlin’s apparent indifference to the settlement of scores in the State Duma may result from a cold-blood mathematical calculation.