02 June 2004 15:49
Top Russian senator supports draft referendum bill
St Petersburg, 2 June: Chairman of the Federation Council Sergey Mironov approves, in general, of the new draft law
on referendum. "In the future, democracy will develop along the path of people's direct involvement in
decision-making, and serious decisions will be made by way of referendums," Mironov told St Petersburg journalists.
He recalled that many European and other countries have chosen this path.
"We, too, will follow this path, but we need a realistic procedure for decisions to be made on serious issues by
the Russian population as a whole rather than political speculation by political parties, those already existing and
emerging ones," Mironov stressed.
"The procedure should take account of the feasibility of holding a referendum, the serious nature of its
preparation and the responsibility of the people who put forward an initiative of this kind. As powerful a lever as
voting in a referendum must not be used for some political intrigue," the Speaker stressed.
Mironov added that he has queries about the draft law on referendums which is currently being examined by the State
Duma, but they are mainly technicalities. "I support the idea on the whole. This should elevate referendums to the
appropriate state and national level and will preclude manipulation with this important political tool," Mironov
emphasized.
[RIA news agency] |
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