MOSCOW, September 29. / TASS /. Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has distributed some 66 mandates of State Duma (lower house) deputies, which were won but have been rejected by United Russia candidates in the federal district, in particular, the mandates of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and regional heads.

As many as four representatives of the national ruling party from the federal part of the list refused State Duma mandates, namely Lavrov, Shoigu, Head of the Sirius Educational Center Elena Shmeleva, Head Physician of City Clinical Hospital No. 40 Denis Protsenko.

Furthermore, all heads of Russian regions, who led the regional groups on the party list, including Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Urals Federal District Vladimir Yakushev, Acting Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, and Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev, General Director of the State Hermitage Mikhail Piotrovsky, gave up their mandates.

According to the law, if the winning candidate refuses the mandate, it will be handed over to the next candidate on the regional part of the list, who did not enter parliament. When a winner from the federal part of the list rejects the mandate, then the party is entitled to put forward a person from another regional group of candidates.

Earlier, the CEC registered some 153 State Duma deputies, elected on federal lists, including 60 from United Russia. Overall, the ruling party received 126 mandates in the lower house according to the list, as well as 198 seats in single-mandate constituencies.