Some want less, others want more – Newspaper Kommersant No. 53 (7498) of 03/29/2023

On Wednesday, the Supreme Council (SC) of the Republic of Khakassia will consider two bills at once on changing the rules for the formation of party lists in the elections of deputies of the regional parliament, which will be held in September 2023. The Communist MP proposes to increase the republican part of the list from five to nine candidates in order to give the parties more freedom. His United Russia colleague, on the contrary, considers it expedient to reduce it to three, so that more candidates from territorial groups get into parliament. If none of the bills wins the support of the majority of deputies, the current version of the law will remain in force.

On March 29, the parliament of the republic will consider two similar amendments to the regional law on the election of deputies, which relate to the republican part of the list of candidates. The law now states that it must include “not less than one and not more than five candidates.” A member of the Communist Party faction, Grigory Nazarenko, proposes to increase the head part of the list to nine names. At the same time, Denis Kabanov, a member of the United Russia faction, proposes to reduce it to three.

Recall that the elections of the new convocation of the Supreme Council of Khakassia will be held on September 10, 2023. 50 people are elected to the parliament, half – on party lists, the other – in single-member districts. Now the United Russia faction has 20 deputies, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation – 12, the Liberal Democratic Party – 5, the Just Russia – For Truth (SRZP) – 3, the Communists of Russia – 2. Another mandate is vacant.

“We are expanding the right of any party to form its own main list. We do not restrict anyone, unlike United Russia,” Grigory Nazarenko told Kommersant. But the appearance of the United Russia bill can be explained by the lack of famous people in the region from the party in power, the communist added.

United Russia Kabanov retorts that the reduction of the head of the list will have a positive impact on the interaction of deputies and voters, as it will increase the representation of territories in parliament. “The concept of the bill corresponds to the guidelines of the federal leadership of the party. “United Russia” traditionally forms lists on a territorial basis, without expanding the region-wide part,” Kommersant was told in the republican unit of EP.

Both bills have already been considered by the Committee on Constitutional Legislation, State Building, Law and Order and recommended that they be submitted to the session at the same time. At the same time, the legal department of the apparatus of the republican parliament gave a negative opinion on the initiative of Grigory Nazarenko. “Lawyers believe that an increase in the republican part of the republican list may, on the contrary, lead to a decrease in competition,” the Supreme Council explained. Iraida Chusteyeva, deputy chairman of the Republican Electoral Committee, also spoke out against it: “This will lead to a decrease in electoral activity. Given the practice of 2018, we will not reach the distribution (mandates.— “b”) between territorial groups”.

According to the regulations of the parliament, in such cases, a rating vote is held. If in the course of it several bills gain a sufficient number of votes for their adoption, then the bill that received the most support is considered adopted in the first reading. If none of the bills receives the required number of votes, then the bill with the most support is put to the final vote. “The bill is considered adopted in the first reading if more than half of the established total number of deputies voted for it in the final vote,” the document says.

“Reducing the republican list will increase the number of mandates from terrorist groups, and thus future deputies will be tied to their territory and will be able to work more effectively with residents “on the ground,” Mikhail Verkhoturov, a member of the political council of the Abakan branch of United Russia, told Kommersant.— The initiative of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, which is experiencing an inner-party personnel shortage, is also understandable. Behind some kind of party brand, it is easier to “hide” the people needed by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and drag them into the Supreme Council of Khakassia.”

According to Grigory Nazarenko, the Communist Party faction will support his bill. “Issues of party discipline are a priority for us,” Kommersant was told in the United Russia regional department when asked whether the faction would vote for Denis Kabanov’s bill. In the SRZP faction, according to its leader Andrei Filyagin, they tend to “leave everything as it is.” The head of the Communists of Russia faction, Denis Brazauskas, in an interview with Kommersant, suggested that the current norm would remain in force. The LDPR did not comment on the situation.

Valery Lavsky, Novosibirsk