On February 15, 2001, at the initiative of the Yabloko faction, the State Duma adopted at the first reading a draft law stipulating that top regional officials should be elected over two rounds of elections, if none of the candidates obtained over 50% of the votes during the first round. A corresponding amendment to the law "On the General Principles Behind the Organisation of Legislative (Representative) and Executive State Authorities of RF Subjects" was introduced by a deputy of the Yabloko faction, Deputy Head of the Chairman of the Duma Committee for Local Government Sergei Mitrokhin.

Mitrokhin's amendment is targeted against the actions of regional heads who participate in elections and are afraid of losing two rounds of voting, who amend regional laws so that the elections are carried out over one round only. Here the will of the electorate is abused, as the victory is given to the candidate who does not obtain a majority vote. Under Mitrokhin's amendment, the elections of regional heads would take place in compliance with the same principle as presidential elections.

Making a speech at the meeting of the State Duma on February 15, 2001, Mitrokhin stressed that his draft law is targeted against the practice of manipulations with the votes and seeks to limit usage of so-called "administrative resource".

305 deputies of the Duma voted for the draft (to be approved, a vote requires the backing of 226 votes).

Mitrokhin opposed his draft to another one submitted by deputy Vitali Lednik ("Unity" faction) envisaging that the heads of the regions would be appointed directly by the President of the RF. "The issue is very simple - who will be the governors' boss: either the people or a superior boss represented by the Presidential Administration," stressed Mitrokhin in his speech. He noted: "the system of appointments leads to stagnation, alienation of state power from the population; whereas elections on a majority basis represent a way of creating a more dynamic state model and affirming the basic principles of people power in the Russian federation."

The deputies of the State Duma rejected Lednik's draft.