19 March 2013, 19:00
State Duma holds second reading of the bill on governors' elections
Today, the Russian State Duma has adopted in the second reading the bill allowing the regions to decide themselves on the procedure of electing their governors.
Under the bill, the regions will now be able not to hold direct elections of governors, replacing them with the procedure of electing regional heads by local Legislative Assemblies out of the nominees brought in by the President of the Russian Federation on presentation of political parties. When discussing the bill, MPs took into account the appeals of the heads of the republics of Northern Caucasus, said Vladimir Vasiliev, the head of the faction of the "Edinaya Rossiya" (United Russia).
On January 23, the bill was presented by Rizvan Kurbanov, a former deputy prime minister of Dagestan and now an MP from the "Edinaya Rossiya". "The bill is intended to take into account the regional diversity of our country in the issue of electing the top official of the subject," Rizvan Kurbanov said in his interview to the "Caucasian Knot".
According to the official website of the State Duma, today the bill in the second reading was supported by 303 MPs. It is expected that the third reading of the bill will be discussed on March 22, and by the Federation Council – on March 27, the RIA "Novosti" reports.
