A bill clarifying the provisions of the law on presidential elections was introduced to the State Duma

A bill to clarify the provisions of the law on presidential elections in Russia has been submitted to the State Duma, said the head of the Committee on State Construction and Legislation Pavel Krasheninnikov (Kommersant has a press release). He clarified that the amendments are a “spot adjustment of the system” and they do not provide for changes to the electoral legislation.

As the deputy explained, according to the current electoral legislation, the presidential elections in Russia should take place in mid-March 2024, and the final decision on the date of the elections will be made by the Federation Council in December 2023. According to him, given these deadlines, it is necessary to adjust a number of legislative norms.

“These amendments are of a legal and technical nature; they do not provide for any radical changes in the electoral legislation. The introduced bill synchronizes changes in electoral legislation in terms of a unified approach to elections at all levels of government. This is a targeted adjustment of the system, which was necessary,” noted Mr. Krasheninnikov.

The bill proposes to clarify the provisions governing photo and video filming at polling stations, and also to establish that only media representatives working in editorial offices on the basis of an employment contract can be accredited at meetings of election commissions.

In addition, the bill establishes the specifics of using accounts opened for election commissions and regulates issues of remuneration for members of election commissions. The draft amendments also propose to determine the maximum cost of producing propaganda materials in the amount of 2% of the subsistence level in Russia per unit of product. According to current legislation, this limit is 100 rubles.

The bill also clarifies the powers of candidates’ proxies and establishes the rule that these powers terminate upon the expiration of the campaign period.

“I would like to note that the proposed changes are not novelties, they repeat previously made changes to the laws on guarantees of voting rights and participation in a referendum, and on the elections of State Duma deputies,” added Pavel Krasheninnikov.

The Federation Council must make a decision on the date of elections no earlier than 100 and no later than 90 days before voting day, which will be March 17, 2024. Current Russian President Vladimir Putin September 12 statedwhich will announce whether it will run for a new term only after elections are called.

At the same time, the informal presidential campaign could start as early as November, sources close to the presidential administration told Kommersant. It will probably be timed to coincide with the opening of the international exhibition and forum “Russia”.

Read more in the Kommersant article. “Election Civilization”.