Federation Council approves bill allowing ex-president to become lifetime senator
MOSCOW. Dec 16 (Interfax) - On Wednesday, the Federation Council approved a bill, which specifies the order of forming the upper chamber of the Russian parliament and declares the right of former Russian presidents to become senators.
The bill allows former presidents to make a one-time decision to become lifetime senators any time they want.
"The federal law prescribes the president of the Russian Federation, who ends the fulfillment of one's duties and decides to assume the duties of a senator of the Russian Federation, to file a written statement with the Federation Council in confirmation of one's decision. The statement can be filed one time only," Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building Andrei Klishas told reporters.
The Russian president, whose term of office expires before the law takes effect, will have the right to file the relevant statement with the Federation Council the day the law comes into effect, he said.
The bill also caps the number of senators at 30, who will be appointed by the president and only seven of them can be senators for life.
Senators are Russian representatives appointed by presidential decree for a six-year term or for life. Appointment of senators is the president's right, not an obligation, which can be exercised at his discretion any time.
Candidates must be Russian citizens, of an impeccable reputation, have reached the age of 30 and resided permanently in Russia, have no other citizenship or a foreign residence permit, or any other document confirming the right of a Russian citizen to reside permanently in a foreign state.
According to the Constitution, citizens who have been of outstanding state or public service to the country could be appointed lifetime senators.
The law broadens the list of persons whom the head of a Russian constituent territory elected by the legislative (representative) body can appoint as a senator representing the constituent territory.
The bill also adds exceptions to the residency requirements for candidate senators. A candidate should have resided in the region continually for the past five years, or 20 years in total , prior to the nomination. At present, this requirement excludes persons with a high military officer rank, a special high command title or an accompanying class rank.
The new bill exempts from this requirement federal state civil servants with a class rank corresponding to the title of colonel general, admiral, army general or navy admiral (such as a Full State Counsellor, 1 class). Persons who completed five years of service in the National Guard in the region nominating them may also be exempt (currently, all types of special public service except this one are exempt).
The range of restrictions on the appointment of persons with an earlier criminal record as senators will broaden (similarly to the existent restrictions on passive electoral rights):
- there will be a list of misdemeanors, which disqualify a candidate for senator (currently, the law cites only felonies or major crimes as disqualifying circumstances).
There will be additional restrictions on appointing persons with expunged or expired convictions as senators: 15 years for major crimes, ten years for felonies, and five years for misdemeanors.
The new edition of the law on the order of forming the Federation Council is part of the package of presidential bills submitted in furtherance of constitutional amendments.
