People pushed away from abuses – Kommersant Yekaterinburg

In the Sverdlovsk region, the requirements for holding referendums have been tightened. According to the new law adopted by the regional parliament, the required number of members of the initiative groups has increased significantly. For example, at least 300 of them will now be required to hold a general regional referendum, although 20 people were enough before. The Communist Party voted against the bill. The expert believes that the complication of requirements makes it virtually impossible to hold referendums.

The bill “On the referendum of the Sverdlovsk region and local referendums” at a meeting of the legislature of the region was presented by the deputy from “United Russia” Dmitry Zhukov. He explained that the low limits of the requirements for organizing a referendum “incline citizens to abuse the right, due to which issues that are insignificant for the procedure may be brought up for discussion.” In this regard, he proposed to increase the threshold for the number of participants in initiative groups for holding a referendum.

According to Mr. Zhukov, the draft law will make it possible to put forward more thoughtful initiatives, reduce the number of refusals on proposals for referendums and reduce budget expenditures for their holding.

Thus, according to the bill, at least 300 members of the initiative group are required to hold a regional referendum, although previously 20 were enough. To hold city referendums, the number of participants in the initiative group depends on the number of registered voters in a particular municipality. In a city with a population of up to 15 thousand, the number of people in the initiative group should be at least 20. In a municipality with 15-50 thousand inhabitants – at least 50 people, 50-100 thousand – at least 100, from 100-500 thousand – at least 150. If more than 500 thousand voters are registered in the municipality (only Yekaterinburg is suitable for these parameters), the initiative group must include at least 200 people.

The CPRF was categorically against tightening the requirements for holding referendums. The leader of the Sverdlovsk communists, vice-speaker Alexander Ivachev, recalled that the Communist Party had twice tried to initiate referendums in recent years: on pension reform and on the law “on children of war.” Both times the electoral commission denied them the registration of the initiative group. “The procedure itself is complicated. What is the point of complicating it if it is already impenetrable,” Mr. Ivachev said when considering the bill. However, the bill was passed by a majority of votes.

The last attempt to hold a referendum in the Sverdlovsk region was made in 2021. Then the initiative group called for the return of direct elections of heads of municipalities. However, the deputies of the legislature rejected their initiative, pointing out that only issues not regulated by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, federal or regional laws can be submitted to a referendum of a subject of the Russian Federation.

“The bill that has been adopted now is aimed at making the procedure for holding a referendum as difficult and almost impossible as possible. That is, there is an institution, there is a procedure, it is actually even spelled out, but it is being complicated, which makes its implementation almost impossible,” political scientist Sergey Moshkin noted.

In his opinion, the deputies simply forgot that the source of power in Russia is the people, according to the Constitution. “In this case, they refuse some sensible proposals to the mass voter, assuming that they know better,” he explained.

Vasily Alekseev