#4
BBC Monitoring
Putin says fundamental provisions of Russian
constitution should be preserved
Source: Russia TV, Moscow, in Russian 1100 gmt 12 Dec 01
[Presenter] Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that the fundamental provisions of the constitution would not be re-examined. This includes the changing of the presidential term for the acting head of the state. Putin said this at a reception in the Kremlin held on the occasion of the Constitution Day. Over to Igor Kozhevin:
[Correspondent] The elite of the Russian society gathered for the reception in the Grand Kremlin Palace on the occasion of the Constitution Day. There were members of the cabinet, deputies, party leaders and representatives of various confessions. The first president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, was also present.
Those who attended the event, were saying that the eight years, during which the constitution was in force, confirmed its viability. Putin said the same in his speech. At the start of it he said that the issue of amending the constitution, which is being actively discussed at the moment, is out of the agenda. This also concerns the presidential term.
[Putin] The issue of amendments that would lead to a fundamentally new constitution in our country is not on the agenda, along with the issue of dismantling its fundamental values and the rejection of democratic gains. I would like to return once again to what I has been talking about and to repeat: This also refers to the presidential term which will not be changed to the advantage of the current president.
[Correspondent] Everything Russia has achieved, the president said, is based on the constitution. Any deviations would inevitably lead to a deadlock.
[Putin] Even during the difficult times, the times of crisis - we know about these times - the authorities did not give in to the temptation to change the constitution to their advantage. Eventually, both the authorities and the state benefited from this. Our constitution is neither a stick, nor carrot. It will never be an ideological symbol or someone's political toy. The constitution is the main law of the state.
[Correspondent] The main task today, according to Putin, is to continue the build-up the state and the work aimed at reducing bureaucracy in the public life. This is all based on the constitution.
[Putin] We haven't finished the vitally important work aimed at dividing the authority between the [federal] centre and the constituent parts of the Russian Federation. Key issues related to the spheres of joint responsibility have not been resolved yet. I would like to draw the attention of both federal and regional state bodies to the fact that these problems are directly linked to the integrity of the state and the guaranteeing of equal rights to all citizens of the Russian Federation.
It is absolutely inadmissible that the absense of a law is often substituted by voluntaristic decisions or even the arbitrariness of officials. It is inadmissible that regional laws, along with municipal and departmental instructions, often violate political, social and property rights of the citizens.
[Correspondent] This is why the president is appealing to judges and officers of law-enforcement bodies. He said that it depends on their work whether Russian citizens will be able to feel themselves protected in future.
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