Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, convened on November 21, 2008. The State Duma approved Friday constitutional changes to extend presidential and parliamentary terms from four to six and five years respectively. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
MOSCOW, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, approved Friday constitutional changes to extend presidential and parliamentary terms from four to six and five years respectively.
The bill was passed by the State Duma by 392 votes to
57 in the third and final reading, and those who voted against it are all
members of the Communist Party, RIA Novosti news agency reported.
The draft law has yet to be voted on by the
Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, and by regional legislatures.
The constitutional amendments, proposed by Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev in his first state-of-the-nation address earlier this
month, will enter into force once they have been approved by both houses of
parliament and at least two-thirds of regional legislatures and published in a
government newspaper.
To counterbalance an extension of the presidential
term, the lawmakers also voted unanimously for another bill, which requires the
government report annually to the State Duma on its work and answer questions
raised by the parliament.
Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, convened on November 21, 2008. The State Duma approved Friday constitutional changes to extend presidential and parliamentary terms from four to six and five years respectively. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
MOSCOW, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Russia will not turn into a
parliamentary republic, though the parliament's role will be strengthened
following constitutional amendments, President Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday.
"The suggested constitutional amendments will not
turn Russia into a parliamentary republic. To be frank, I think that Russia must
not be a parliamentary republic. That would be fatal," Itar-Tass news agency
quoted Medvedev as saying in the Urals city of Izhevsk.
The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian
parliament, has approved constitutional changes to extend the terms of the
president and the parliament from four years to six and five years
respectively. Full story
MOSCOW, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Russia's lower house of
parliament Friday approved constitutional changes to extend presidential and
parliamentary terms from four years to six and five years respectively.
The State Duma voted 388-58 to pass the
constitutional amendments in the first of three readings. After two more
readings, the changes still need to be voted on by the Federation Council, the
upper house of parliament, and by regional legislatures. Full story
MOSCOW, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that he supports the extension of the
presidency from four years to six years, local media reported.
President Dmitry Medvedev submitted a bill to the
parliament on the extension, which was raised during his first address-of-the
state to the parliament last Wednesday. Full story
