| Rather than changing the world, Sept. 11 brought
to light already existing problems. Mankind was given a clear
signal that the key problem of the 21st century must be resolved.
The Duma deputies are back in Moscow. The autumn session of
the Duma formally opens on Wednesday, but the Speaker of the Duma
Gennadi Seleznyov has already met the leaders of Duma factions
and deputies' groups to discuss the legislative agenda for the
session. An alliance of centrists, the Union of Right-Wing Forces
(SPS) and YABLOKO has proposed a draft law prohibiting referendums
in the years of parliamentary or presidential elections. This
unexpected initiative may derail the plans of the communists who
intend to hold a nation-wide referendum next spring.
In July, the People's Patriotic Union set up a team to organize
a nationwide referendum. All 15 organizations which are members
of the People's Patriotic Union are represented in the team. Communist
leader Gennadi Zyuganov announced that four questions would
be on the referendum: covering the sale and purchase of agricultural
land, housing and utilities costs, salaries, and deprivatization
of the fuel and energy sector.
Amendments to the law on referendums which would ban referendums
"in the year before presidential or parliamentary elections"
are being proposed by Unity, People's Deputy, Russian Regions,
and Fatherland - All Russia, together with the Union of Right-Wing
Forces and Yabloko. According to Russian Regions leader Oleg Morozov,
the idea came from the deputies themselves, even though Duma Deputy
Speaker Lyubov Sliska was quoted as saying that the initiative
had come from the President.
To a certain extent this assumption was confirmed by the statement
of the Central Election Commission Chairman Alexander Veshnyakov
yesterday. Veshnyakov admitted that he supported the centrist
initiative on the whole, but thought that referendums might be
banned only in the last six months.
The authors of the draft law emphasize that it was supposed
to prevent the simultaneous organization of elections and nationwide
referendums. "We should rule out the possibility of misusing
campaign advertising, which is almost inevitable when elections
and referendums are simultaneous," noted Unity leader Vladimir
Pekhtin. Vyacheslav Volodin of Fatherland - All Russia said as
much yesterday too. He does not think that "holding a referendum
less than a year before the election" is expedient, as "everything
would boil down to promotion of a single party. Moreover, referendums
are a costly pastime. Each one costs 3.5 billion rubles."
Oleg Morozov says: "If we permit referendums in the years
of presidential and parliamentary elections, it would invalidate
all bans on campaign advertising during the pre-election period."
Zyuganov has still not responded to the centrist initiative.
On the other hand, he said on August 23 that the referendum would
certainly be opposed. Zyuganov was quoted as saying the time that
"Voloshin and Surkov will do everything they can to make
Veshnyakov scuttle the referendum."
Nikolai Kharitonov, Agricultural-Industrial Group leader and
another prominent member of the left wing, says: "This initiative
conflicts with Article 3 of the Constitution." Article 3
states that "referendums and free elections are the highest
expression of the will of the people."
The centrists aren't yet saying when the draft will be debated
by the Duma. But even with all possible delays, the lower house
will apparently pass it before the end of the year. This means
that the referendum which the Communists have planned for spring
2003 will not take place – owing to the parliamentary election
scheduled for December 2003.
There can be no doubt that the proposed amendments will be passed,
even though amendments to constitutional laws require 300 votes
rather than 226. Four centrist and two right-wing factions and
groups in the lower house control enough votes to ensure passage
of the draft law.
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