China News Agency, Moscow, March 10th (Reporter Wang Xiujun) On the 10th, the State Duma of Russia (the lower house of parliament) held a plenary session and passed the second reading of the draft amendment to the constitution.
State Duma Chairman Volokin said that nearly 400 draft amendments to the constitution have been received, of which 200 have been considered. These provisions include safeguarding social welfare, strengthening the power of the State Duma in government cabinets, clarifying the status of the Federal Council of State, granting the Federal Council (the upper house of parliament) the power to appoint the president and judges of the Supreme Court, and prohibiting senior officials from having dual nationality or foreign permanent Residence permit, etc.
In addition, at the meeting on the day, Duma member Tereshkova submitted a draft amendment. The draft mentions that after the new constitution enters into force, the number of previous terms of office of the current president should be disregarded. The current president, like other citizens, has the right to participate in the next presidential election. According to Russia's current constitution that "one person can only be elected for two consecutive terms," Putin, who is already in his second term, cannot continue to participate in the next presidential election.
Tereshkova said he was not sure whether Putin would participate in the next presidential election. "This has nothing to do with Putin, but the future of the country."
Data map: Russian President Putin.
Russian President Putin then addressed the National Duma Conference. In response to the draft amendment proposed by Tereshkova, he said that if the nationals agree in the All-Russian ballot on April 22, the restrictions on any citizen, including the current president, will be lifted so that they can participate Plans for future presidential elections are in principle feasible. "But there is also a condition that the Constitutional Court ruled that this was not unconstitutional."
Putin also mentioned in his speech that the constitutional amendment has created conditions for national development from a long-term historical perspective.
Former Russian Prime Minister and Deputy Chairman of the National Security Council Medvedev said on the same day that the participation of the current president in the next election is conducive to maintaining Russia's stability and power continuity.
Volokin said that on the one hand, the constitutional amendment can make the country develop more smoothly, and on the other hand, it can keep the state power stable.
On the same day, 382 of the 426 members who participated in the meeting voted in favour of the draft constitutional amendment, with 44 abstentions and 0 against. The second reading of the draft amendment to the Russian constitution was approved.
According to the TASS news agency, the Russian State Duma will conduct a third reading of the draft amendment to the Constitution on March 11. After deliberation, it must be approved by the Russian Federal Council (upper house of parliament) and more than two-thirds of local parliaments before a referendum can be held on April 22. (Finish)