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This week the Duma Committee on Public Associations should formally
finish preparations of the draft law on
political parties for its second reading. However, predictions that
the document will not be adopted before the
end of the session are frequently heard in the Duma.
First, all the interested parties - the President, the Central
Electoral Committee and deputies of the Duma –
were full of enthusiasm, writing plans for party building in the
Russian state. Shortly before 2001 Vladimir Putin
submitted the draft law [on parties] to the State Duma, and at the
beginning of February deputies of the Duma
voted for its adoption at its first reading. Formally the second
reading should have taken place on March 7, 2001.
However, the Council of the Duma adopted a decision to postpone the
debates. Chairman of the Duma
Committee on Public Associations Victor Zorkaltsev (the CPRF)
requested that the Duma postpone this debate.
The motivation is simpl: about a thousand amendments to the draft law
were received, and about three hundred
of them were taken into account. Nevertheless the deputies are
proposing new multiple amendments.
A new date - March, 22 emerged. However, this week the committee will
not submit the draft to the Duma. As
Izvestiya reported, the Council of the Duma will propose at a closed
meeting to postpone the draft law on parties
until mid-April. But there is no guarantee that the law on parties will
emerge in the country by the end of spring.
This pause may be attributable to the large number of amendments.
First, after the wave of rumours about a redistribution of Duma
committees, parliamentary members from the communist party are not
rushing to work on presidential drafts. Secondly, many
deputies would like to listen to the annual address of the President
first. According to forecasts, in his address to the Federal
Assembly, Vladimir Putin will “forget” about the reform of the parties.
And this will be recognised as a signal: the President’s opinion
about parties has changed.
See also:
Law “On Parties”
Mikhail Amosov (the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, leader of the Yabloko faction): the
adoption of the law on parties represents a positive trend in Russia’s politics
Rosbalt Information Agency, March 12, 2001
The Yabloko faction may propose its own draft law on political parties
Press Release,11.01.01
Yabloko to submit to the Duma its version of the draft law “On Parties”
Press Release,01.11.00
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