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#14 - JRL 2008-207 - JRL Home
Zyuganov Asks MPs Not to Rush to Extend Presidential, Duma Terms

MOSCOW. Nov 11 (Interfax) - Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov has said that parliamentarians should not rush the bills extending the presidential and parliamentary terms, but rather focus on priorities such as financial and economic problems facing the country.

"As the serious financial and economic crisis is unfolding both globally and in Russia, we should first of all think of how to get out of it instead of making hasty amendments to the Constitution, extending the terms for the head of state and the State Duma," Zyuganov told Interfax.

There are still more than three and a half years before the term of the incumbent president and Duma expires. "Inevitably, the question arises: why is there such a rush?" Zyuganov said.

At the same time, before these amendments are made to the Fundamental Law, the regulations about the parliamentary control over the executive authorities both at the federal and regional levels should be enacted, he said.

"I am certain that proposals to extend the term of office for the head of state and the federal parliament should not be considered unless we pass regulations extending the supervising functions for parliaments of every level," said the Communist leader.

"Bills granting supervising functions to parliamentarians should be considered and passed in the first place and the amendments to the country's Fundamental Law afterwards," he said.

Earlier, a number of Communist MPs, including Sergei Obukhov, Valery Rashkin, Anatoly Lokot and others, also told journalists that they do not understand why these significant changes to the Russian Constitution should be so urgent.

"The head of state suggested increasing terms both for the president and the State Duma starting from the next elections, when there are more than three and half years to go. This is why this current haste inevitably suggests that the country might hold an early presidential election," Obukhov said.