Russian senators join regional parliaments
Since President Dmitry Medvedev last fall decided that only members of regional parliaments will be entitled to get seats in the Federation Council, the Russian senators have rushed towards the regional legislative assemblies.
Elections to regional parliaments are to be held in nine Russian federal subjects on March 1. That will be the chance for the regions’ current senators to secure their jobs. The senators – the regions’ representatives in the upper house of parliament – are from year 2011 to be recruited only from the regional legislative assemblies.
Arkhangelsk Oblast and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug are two of the regions where regional parliament elections are to be held in March. In both regions, the senators are registered as candidates in the upcoming vote.
It was in his state of the nation speech last November, that President Medvedev said that the senators should have five-year terms and be appointed from the regional parliaments. The change was quickly adopted by federal legislators. It will take effect from year 2011, Vedomosti reports.
The senators are not the only prominent candidates in the upcoming regional elections, however. In Arkhangelsk Oblast for example, the lion’s share of the political elite is on the party list of the United Russia Party. Among them are not only Governor Ilya Mikhalchuk and current parliament speaker Vitaly Fortygin. Also director of the powerful Sevmash Yard, Nikolay Kalistratov, is on the party list (No 2 after Mikhalchuk), Regnum reports. Senator Nikolay Lvov is running for one of the single-mandate seats.
Mr. Medvedev proposal to elect the senators from the regional parliaments was a bid to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the assemblies. The change could help strengthen the powers of the regional legislators.
