MOSCOW (AP) – Russia’s lower house of parliament on Friday gave preliminary approval to legislation giving President Vladimir Putin the right to suspend governors and mayors accused of crime, regardless of the seriousness of the alleged offense.
The legislation, which the State Duma passed 419-0, is the latest in a series of initiatives apparently tightening the Kremlin’s grip on Russia’s political life.
The bill will allow the president to suspend governors and mayors after receiving incriminatory materials from prosecutors and before any formal charges are filed. Under current law, they can be suspended only if charged with violent crimes.
The Kremlin’s envoy to the Duma said the bill, which will likely be passed by the parliament’s two chambers and be signed into law, will help fight and prevent terrorist threats.
In recent years, the Duma, dominated by the Kremlin-affiliated United Russia party, has passed a raft of Kremlin-proposed bills that have radically changed how officials are elected in Russia.
Among the legislation pressed by the Kremlin in recent years are measures that scrap the direct election of regional leaders, ban voters from casting ballots against all candidates, and increase the minimum amount of votes required for a party to gain a parliamentary seat from 5 percent to 7 percent.
