MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law amending existing legislation on the conduct of elections in the country’s new r...
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law amending existing legislation on the conduct of elections in the country’s new regions as well as election procedures, according to the document published on Monday.
The new regions of the Russian Federation, the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Lugansk People’s Republics (LPR), Zaporozhye Region and Kherson Region, have now been delegated the right to independently determine certain provisions of the federal election law, starting from a single voting day this September. In particular, residents of the new regions are now eligible to cast votes at polling stations located outside of their home regions and may also use not only their Russian internal passports for personal identification purposes but also other documents with equivalent legal force.
Elections under martial law
The document also establishes the procedure for holding elections under martial law, stipulating that referendums and elections may be held on those territories where martial law has been declared following relevant consultations by Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) with the Russian Defense Ministry and the Federal Security Service (FSB). Under the bill, elections and referendums may be held, provided that all relevant bodies approve it, across the entire territory where martial law has been declared or in a specific part of such territory.
If holding an election or a referendum on the territory of one of the four regions would pose a threat to the lives or well-being of the citizenry, voting may be postponed by decision of the CEC, which must immediately inform the president of any such postponement. Once the relevant danger is eliminated, the CEC will determine when to resume the electoral process.
Electoral commissions for detainees
The law also provides for the possibility to form precinct election commissions in places of detention of suspected and accused persons, and defines the procedure for forming such commissions, their powers and the basis of their activities.
The document also contains provisions on the refusal of voting with absentee ballots and the prohibition of election campaigns on websites blocked by Russia's mass media and telecommunications watchdog (Roskomnadzor).
The law comes into force from the day of its official publication.
-News Feed
COMMENTS