Putin’s bid to alter election syst doesn’t contradict Constitution

Itar-Tass, Russia
Sept 14 2004

MOSCOW, September 15 — President Vladimir Putin’s initiative to change
the system of electing governors does not contradict the Fundamental
Law, chairman of the committee on constitutional legislation and state
development under the State Duma lower house of parliament Vladimir
Pligin said.

“The introduction of the proportionate election system of Duma
lawmakers does not contradict the Fundamental Law,” Pligin said.

After the abrogation of direct gubernatorial election, the institute
of presidential envoys and chief federal inspectors in regions will
be dissolved, Saratov region governor Dmitry Ayatskov said.

“If the president recommends the governor, why need presidential
envoys who dub their functions? The transfer of part of regional
powers to the federal center in the person of presidential envoys
was a forced measure,” Ayatskov said.

Ethnic groups of the Kemerovo region backed the presidential
initiatives aimed at strengthening state power, regional administration
officials told Itar-Tass.

Head of the community “Belarus” Mikhail Brilev told a meeting of the
ethnic groups’ leaders that “the election of regional leaders at the
suggestion by the head of state will strengthen executive power, while
people, through the Public Chamber, will be able to actively influence
the preparation and adoption of laws by lawmakers at all levels.”

The people will get a real opportunity to participate in the formation
of strategy of socio-economic development of certain regions and the
country as a whole, Brilev said.

Nar Oganesyan, a representative of the Armenian organization “Urartu”
called the president’s decision to set up the ministry of regional and
national policies “an effective methods of uniting peoples of Russia.”

The election of governors at the suggestion by the head of state
may imply alternatives, Penza region governor Vasily Bochkaryov
said Tuesday.

“The optimization of the system of governing the country, proposed by
Putin, will not only help strengthen regional authorities, but also
combine federalism with an effective power vertical,” Bochkaryov said.

“At present, I associate the system of federalism with three parallel
runways, along which three planes simultaneously take off, interfering
with each other,” he said.

Federal, regional and municipal authorities should be not competitors,
but links of one governance system, he underlined.