Press Release, 13.05.2014

YABLOKO’s activists conducted a protest action against an amendment to the Constitution on the change of the Federation Council forming system outside the State Duma. YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin participated in the action.

The State Duma deputies conduct the first reading of an amendment to the Constitution which will become already a second amendment adopted this year. President will get the right to arbitrarily, without any explanation, appoint ten per cent of the Federation Council members.

Sergei Mitrokhin

The activists held banners which said “Deputies, don’t spoil the Constitution!” and “Amendment named after Caligula: new senators, do they go first? (photos of the three pseudo-opposition parties leaders Sergei Mironov, Gennady Zuganov, Vladimir Zhirinovsky who introduced the amendment) Are they next? (photos of horses)”.

“Our legislation drifts towards absurd, therefore we remind of the Roman Emperor Caligula’s attitude to the Senate and the people when he declared his horse a senator. First of all the true Putin’s supporters, leaders of the three pseudo-opposition parties Mironov, Zuganov and Zhirinovsky who introduced the amendment, will be declared senators. And then probably horses or Putin’s dog Koni, it can also be appointed a senator. By the look of things, we will come to this at this rate,” said YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin.

YABLOKO leader stressed that the proposed amendments do not even envisage any “special merits” of perspective senators-appointees. “Obviously, their main “merit” will be their unlimited personal loyalty to the President. He [the President] will appoint them in large quantities. We’ve counted, it’s about 17 people,” he said.

Sergei Mitrokhin also added that if the amendment was adopted it would eliminate the possibility of direct elections to the Federation Council.

“Appointment by the President of a part of the members of the upper chamber of the Federal Assembly will only further increase his powers that have been immense without this. At the same time the status of the upper house of parliament which has to represent the interests of the Russian regions will be decreased. Therefore, another significant step towards the destruction of Russian federalism will be made,” runs in the YABLOKO’s statement.

YABLOKO’s Maya Zavyalova

YABLOKO’s Sofya Rusova