The adoption of this law completes the creation of the new Russian electoral legislation system that, according to human rights and politician activists, represents a rolling-back of democracy. (12-AUG-05)
With the enactment of this amendment forbids the creation of electoral blocks (between political parties) at any level of government. Voters no longer have the privilege to vote for members in the single mandate category.
This amendment also brings into affect a new aspect of the law: imperative mandate, which means that a deputy who has left a political party can no longer be a member of the State Duma. Another amendment brings into affect the right for the organizers of regional elections to exclude the choice “Against All”.
Deputies also created fixed elections dates: the second Sunday of March for presidential elections and the second Sunday of October for parliamentary elections. The percentage of the signatures from residents living in any particular riding, required by their representatives, which can be rejected by the electoral commission, has been lowered from 25% to 10% percent.
Representatives of non-governmental organizations and election monitors can no longer follow elections. International representatives can only come by invitation of state authorities. In the absence of independent monitors the vote counting could be falsified.
Lev Ponomarev, leader of the movement “For Human Rights” think that this law deprives citizens of the right to self-representation for participation in parliamentary elections. This law makes people join a political party to become a member of the State Duma. These facts contradict the following norms of the Constitution of the Russian Federation:
– The citizens of the Russian Federation have the right to elect and be elected to the organs of Government Power and the organs of self-government and also take a part in referendums. (Article # 32, part 2)
– Nobody can be forced to enter any one-union or be a member of it. (Article # 30, part 2)
– The Russian Federation shouldn’t promulgate laws which abolish or belittle the rights and freedoms of persons and civilians. (Article #55, part 2)
The Board of the Russian Research Center for Human Rights believes that new changes of legislation, in particular the abolition of governor elections, are evidence of the government’s departure from the principles of democracy. The reduction, to 20%, of the amount of unspoiled votes required to legitimize an election leads to the fact that the opinions of a lot of people won’t be heard. In a time when the political system of the Russian Federation is not well developed a required minimum of seven percent of the votes to gain a seat in the State Duma creates a barrier which will lead to the fact that a lot of people won’t have their representatives in the lawmaking bodies of State. The Russian Research Center for Human Rights calls on international democracy oriented community to express their attitude towards the new reforms of legislation in the Russian Federation.
