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Already at the time of adoption Putin’s constitutional amendments it turned out that the authorities have still not decided when citizens will vote on Putin’s proposals – before or after he signs the bill. At a meeting of the Duma, they said that the vote will take place after the signing of the law, but later it turned out that the working group has no consensus on this issue, and a decision has not yet been made. How did it happen?
The State Duma on Thursday approved in the first reading the presidential package of amendments to the Constitution of Russia. Introducing the bill, Pavel Krasheninnikov, co-chair of the amendment working group and head of the relevant committee, said that a “nationwide vote” would take place after Putin signed the amendments.
That’s what literally said Krasheninnikov, introducing the presidential bill at a plenary meeting of the Duma: “The draft does not affect the fundamental foundations of chapters I and II of the Constitution, therefore it is considered by the Federal Assembly in accordance with article 136 of the Constitution and in the manner established for federal constitutional laws: in three readings by the State Duma, at least two-thirds votes of the total number of deputies, at least three-fourths of the votes of the total number of members of the Federation Council.Next, it will be considered by the parliaments of the federation, signing to be voted on and put to the all-Russian vote. “
Only one conclusion could be drawn from the word “subscribe” – the bill, as amended by the Constitution, will be signed by President Putin before the popular vote. At the same time, vote proposed Putin himself during his message – according to him, the opinion of citizens on this issue “should be decisive.”
After the State Duma approved the bill in the first reading, the BBC correspondent asked the Speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin the question, what is the meaning of a “popular vote” if the Russian president by that time already signs the law on amendments.
Volodin answered the question nervously: “The point is, when representing the foreign media, the form that we choose for ourselves is complex, but democratic, when not only deputies, members are involved in the discussion of all these amendments “Of the Federation Council, regional parliaments, but ultimately all of this will be decided by the citizens of our country – and they took and implemented for their countries.”
Apparently, the All-Russian vote on changing the Constitution will take place after Putin signs the amendment law. What then is the meaning of the vote? State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin answers.
Posted by BBC News Russian on Thursday, 23 January 2020
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Later assistant Volodina Anastasia Kashevarova reproached BBC is that the question was asked incorrectly with a “complete misunderstanding of the procedure and the process.”
But on Thursday evening, it became clear that there was no full understanding of the procedure in the working group itself.
How will this work?
The discussion about when the “all-Russian vote” should be held after all took place at a meeting of the working group on constitutional amendments, which was described by the Interfax agency. It turned out that its members have so far failed to reach consensus on this issue. According to the agency, at the meeting Krashennikikov said that the vote is planned to be held after Putin’s signature.
Interfax quotes Krasheninnikov as saying: “The point is that the Duma votes in three readings, then the Federation Council, then the constituent parliaments, then the president signs. And then, accordingly, there is an all-Russian vote, and depending on the vote, it will vote or not enact the relevant law. ”
Already after the meeting, Krasheninnikov said that after Putin’s signature only the voting procedure will come into force, and the amendments themselves will work after it takes place, TASS reports.
Not all members of the working group agreed with this order – voting of citizens after Putin’s signature. The head of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia, Mikhail Shmakov, nevertheless proposed to consider the possibility of holding a vote before the signature of the president. “Then it looks much more logical than the design that is now voiced,” he said.
Another co-chair of the working group, Senator Andrei Klishas, told reporters that no decision has yet been made on the issue of when the vote will take place. This issue will be addressed by constitutional lawyers, specified he is during the meeting.
The head of the CEC, Ella Pamfilova, answering the question of Kommersant about whether the vote should take place before or before signing the law, saidthat “now no one can answer for the president”: “Now for this there is a working group, there is a Federal Assembly – legislative deputies. Let them work out different options.”
The voting procedure should be determined by the second reading of Putin’s amendments, which is expected on February 11.
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