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Russia’s 8th State Duma opens its first spring session

The session will last for 20 plenary weeks, and seven regional sessions will take place

© Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS

MOSCOW, January 18. /TASS/. The eighth Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) opened its first spring session on Tuesday.

The lawmakers stood silently and listened to the national anthem at the opening of the plenary session.

State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin stepped up to the podium to address the parliamentarians and outline the main directions of the Duma's work during the upcoming session. Then, statements by faction leaders on key socio-economic and political issues are scheduled.

According to the resolution on the Duma's work schedule adopted earlier, the Duma's spring session will last until July 31. The session will last for 20 plenary weeks and seven regional sessions will take place. Duma members are also scheduled to take a two-week vacation, the first from May 2, and the second from August 1 to August 29.

On Monday, Volodin held a meeting with the leaders of all factions. He noted that the priorities of the deputies' work in the spring session will be "issues of support for citizens, the development of the economy of the country and the regions."

Earlier, Alexander Zhukov, First Deputy Speaker of the State Duma, said that the spring session is traditionally longer than the fall session, so there is "a lot of work to be done". According to him, as soon as President Vladimir Putin announces his message to the Federal Assembly, the MPs will lay out a plan of its legislative support and begin its implementation as soon as possible.

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