Federal Law «On the Election of Deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation» and Issues of Interaction of Election Commissions with Election Associations and Election Blocs
Report of the Central Election Commission of Russia at the Meeting with the Representatives of Moscow, 27 July 1999
Dear meeting participants,
It is less than a month until the President of the Russian Federation issues a decree calling the elections of deputies to the State Duma of the Russian Federation Federal Assembly of the third convocation.
The forthcoming election campaign will be conducted on the basis of a new Federal Law «On the Election of Deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation» (hereafter «the new Federal Law») which was adopted by the State Duma on June 2, approved by the Federation Council on June 9 and signed by the President of the Russian Federation on June 24, 1999.
In addition to this, substantial modifications and additions have been introduced in the framework Federal Law «On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to Participate in a Referendum,» which guarantee more fully the constitutional right of Russian Federation citizens to elect and be elected to bodies of state power and bodies of local self-government.
Thus, It can be stated that on the eve of the federal election campaign the Central Election Commission, election commissions of the lower levels have an adequate legal basis which allows the elections to the parliament of Russia to be held in accordance with the requirements of the Constitution of the Russian Federation.
The legitimacy of the future State Duma will largely depend on how accurately the norms of the new Federal Law will be observed by All-Russian political public associations, which are one of the main subjects of the electoral process. In this respect we are ready to help and support them in every possible way. And this is not just words. Further development of Russia’s electoral system is connected with the development of the multi-party political structure whose main link is formed by the political public associations. Therefore, it is important that you regard election commissions as long-term and strategic partners and allies rather than parties in possible court proceedings.
Considering the novel legislative provisions regulating some electoral actions and the complexity of the law, on the eve of the elections the Central Election Commission has organized a series of meetings between the Commission members and various participants in the forthcoming election campaign. In July, such meetings were held with the heads of electronic media and heads of the editorial offices of print media.
Today, members of the Commission are meeting with you - representatives of the All-Russian political public associations in order to tell you about the specific features and application of the new Federal Law and the updated Federal Law «On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to Participate in a Referendum.» We hope that as a result of this meeting you will receive answers to your questions concerning the new Federal Law and make a realistic assessment of your possibilities in the forthcoming election campaign.
In accordance with the theme of this meeting we will consider the most topical problems of the interaction of electoral associations, electoral blocs with election commissions, other participants in the electoral process in the light of the requirements of the new Federal Law.
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