The document was prepared in development of the provisions of the Constitution on a unified system of public authority. The new law is planned to be finally adopted in December and put into effect from June 1, 2022.
As the speaker of the State Duma recalled, earlier laws on the government and on the State Council were approved to implement the new constitutional provisions. “Now the next step is the adoption of norms concerning the activities of the legislative and executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation,” the speaker noted.
According to him, the result of the adoption of the law should be a clear distribution of powers, the establishment of the responsibility of officials, an increase in the level of openness and accountability of the authorities.
Controversy in the State Duma was caused by the rule on the governor’s terms. “We will not support the bill, despite the fact that the communists are statists,” said Yury Sinelshchikov, a deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. The faction, according to him, is not satisfied with the fact that “the governor’s terms can be reset to zero.”
As Vyacheslav Volodin emphasized, the legislative assemblies of the regions will be able to make decisions based on local specifics. This also applies to the governor’s tenure.
“They consider two lines – let it be two, three or three, if they remove this norm – let it be removed. We must give some rights to our colleagues in regional parliaments,” the speaker said. He also drew attention to world practice, which testifies in favor of the abolition of such restrictions at the country level.
The chairman of the State Duma is sure that regional authorities should receive more freedoms and opportunities in those issues that do not encroach on the country’s sovereignty.
The draft also contains a number of provisions that are mandatory. In particular, the regions will have to create control and accounting bodies, which will be responsible for checking regional budgets and extra-budgetary funds. “Previously, this was left to the discretion of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The adoption of this norm will improve the quality of regional parliamentary control,” says Vyacheslav Volodin.
In addition, regional prosecutors will be obligated to have the right to initiate legislation. According to Volodin, the prosecutor’s office, exercising control and supervisory powers, sees the imperfection of the legislative base, its weaknesses.
According to Pavel Krasheninnikov, head of the committee for state building and legislation, an important point in the bill is the provision that the head of a constituent entity of the Federation forms the government. Together they are responsible for the socio-economic situation in a particular region, said the deputy, who authored the project together with Senator Andrei Klishas.
Also, the bill establishes in what cases the governor can be removed from office. The President will be able to make such a decision due to the loss of confidence in the head of the region. In addition, he will have the right to apply other measures of responsibility to the governor, such as warning, reprimand.
These are by no means all the upcoming changes. In general, the bill removes outdated provisions and proposes a more understandable structure not only for officials, but also for citizens, says Pavel Krasheninnikov.
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