Moscow, 27 January: The first deputy head of the Russian Federation president's administration, Vladislav Surkov, has expressed confidence that changes to the law lowering the number of voters' signatures in support of Duma election candidates (required for their electoral registration) and the minimum membership for a party to be registered and operate will be approved by parliament during the spring session.

"In the next few years the number of voters' signatures in support of the nomination of federal lists of candidates in State Duma elections may be reduced from the current 200,000 to 100,000-120,000," Surkov told journalists on Tuesday (27 January).

He said that no "drastic steps" would be taken on this issue. "This law has not yet been sent to the Duma, but it will be approved by the summer," Surkov said.

The first deputy head of the president's administration also said that, in line with the head of state's instructions concerning the implementation of his address to the Federal Assembly, the drafting of the bill on stage-by-stage reduction of the minimum membership of parties required for their registration and operation was "practically complete". "At the first stage, over a period of several years, we will reduce the threshold to 40,000, and in the future, to 30,000-35,000 people," Surkov explained.

He also said that a bill concerning guarantees for representation in the State Duma of political parties whose federal lists of candidates received between 5 and 7 per cent of the vote had also been drafted.

"The 7-per-cent threshold will not be abolished. It is effective and it has proved its effectiveness in reality during two elections," Surkov said. However, he said, parties that receive between 5 and 7 per cent of the vote would be able to have two or three of their candidates in the Duma to represent their interests. "We will present this bill to the Duma in February," Surkov said.

According to him, "the president is expected to send to the Duma" a bill allowing local self-government bodies to have more control over heads of local administration and, if necessary, remove them from their posts.

"This is a kind of attempt to use public procedures to address issues concerning the evaluation of local government," Surkov said.

He explained that the proposal to dismiss heads of local government and municipalities is the exclusive prerogative of local councils, which should be approached in such cases by governors. "If someone chooses to resort to the settling of scores, this procedure - through local councils - will rule that out," Surkov said.