Chairman of the Russian Federation Council Sergey Mironov
Photo: Dmitry Lekay
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Federation Council Looks after Regions
Yesterday, the Àederation Council began discussion of the draft law redistributing the powers of the different levels of authority. That draft passed its first reading in the State Duma on Friday. The law was called “useful and timely” but “raw.” “As the chamber of the regions,” Council Speaker Sergey Mironov said, “we must divide up the power along with the money.” The Council made several enquiries of its administration representative, especially concerning guarantees of financing. “The regions are being given the powers that the subjects of the federation asked for themselves,” Deputy Minister of Regional Development Mikhail Ponomarev told the assembly. There are 144 powers being transferred to the regions and only two taken away (registration of civil status and the military draft) for which the region received federal funding. Ponomarev noted that some of the new powers were “the right to participate” in joint activities. Several of the senators took an interest in the phrase “obligation to guarantee the life activities of the populace.”
“A power is both a right and an obligation,” noted deputy chairman of the Council budget committee Vyacheslav Novikov. There were questions about funding to guarantee those activities and about what happens in cases of emergency. Apparently, there concerns were not out of place. Author of the proposed law and department head at the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade Vitaly Shilov promised to “work on the draft, add some things, take some things away, and delegate power along with the financing.” Council members decided to form a joint commission with Duma members and the administration to ready the draft for its second reading. Laws proposed in Russia are subject to three readings.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 22, 2005
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