Senators voted overwhelmingly in favor even for once controversial blueprints.
Photo: Dmitry Dukhanin
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Federation Council Passes 80 Bills in One Day
Russia’s Federation Council closed its spring session passing 80 bills in 7 hours. The Senators voted overwhelmingly in favor even for once controversial blueprints.
Amendments to the bill on the status of Duma and Federation Council deputies were the only contentious point. Several Senators opposed the move to bar anyone who has lived in a region less than ten years from representing this territory in the Federation Council. St. Petersburg-native Lyudmila Narusov, who represents Tuva in Eastern Siberia, noted to the fact that the restrictions, proposed by Speaker Sergey Mironov, do not affect Duma deputies. Senators endorsed the bill but promised to track its enforcement in fall.
Some criticism was voiced against a new anti-extremism bill. Chuvashia’s representative Vladimir Slutsky said the bill re-states stipulations from current blueprints with somewhat stricter punishment. The Senator added that recent crackdown on extremism does not prevent a rise in crime. The bill, however, was passed in an overwhelming vote.
The upper house of parliament also voted to endorse a power-sharing agreement between Moscow and Tatarstan. Some analysts note that the treaty is purely symbolic, and does not give the region any real economic control.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of July 12, 2007
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