The State Duma rejected the draft address to the President of the Russian Federation on repealing the provisions for an accelerated transfer towards 100% coverage by the population for housing and communal costs. At the plenary meeting on April 2, 2003, 164 deputies (against a required minimum of 226 votes) voted for the draft address prepared by YABLOKO's deputy Sergei Mitrokhin.

Mitrokhin proposed repealing the presidential decree "On Reform of the Housing and Communal Services Sector in the Russian Federation", which stipulates that the population should pay 100% for all types of housing and communal services. He also proposed a repeal of the provisions of the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation, envisaging the transfer of the sector to a subsidy-free basis this year.

Agreeing to preserve the provisions that population should pay 100% of housing and communal services, the United Russia party and its factions in the State Duma again demonstrated their hypocrisy," stated Mitrokhin. "The position of the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) is clear [voting for the reform], as their leader [Chubais] is one of the authors of the concept of the transfer to a 100% payment for housing and communal services by the population, but it is difficult to understand the behaviour of the Unity, Fatherland-All Russia and People's Deputy factions, which publicly crticised the concept, but offered complete support in the Duma," added Mitrokhin.

"The collection of signatures against the unjustified growth in electricity tariffs for the population organized by the United Russia looks especially cynical in view of today's vote," indicated Mitrokhin. "For the documents which the Duma refused to repeal facilitate unlimited tariff growth."

Mitrokhin also reiterated that during voting on March 21, 2003, for adoption in the third reading of amendments to the law "On the Basis of the Federal Housing Policy" many deputies of the Duma declared their support for the amendments, as the government abolished the idea of an accelerated transfer to 100% coverage by the population of housing and communal services. "Today the same deputies decided to preserve complete coverage of these services by the population," noted Mitrokhin.

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