This is almost too good to be true. A very short thread on how the high-priority concerns of the "nationwide vote" trump legislative rules. THREAD 👇 1/? #Russia
The State Duma Committee on State Building and Legislation – chaired by Pavel Krasheninnnikov (who's also one of the constitutional reform working group co-chairs) – has approved amending the Code of Administrative Violations. 2/?
These changes will mean that existing punishments re: electoral offences will also apply to the "nationwide vote". (Russian law doesn't already include the category of a "nationwide vote", which is why this legal tweaking is necessary.) 3/?
But here's the thing: given the tight timetable, these changes to the Code have been introduced, not in a new bill submitted to the legislature, but as changes to a bill *already under consideration in the Duma*. 4/? kommersant.ru/doc/4276799
What's wrong with that? Well, it violates the Duma's own standing orders (регламент) – the rules that specify correct parliamentary procedures. In essence, legislators are not allowed to change the "concept" of a bill in 2nd reading. 5/?
Approving the overall concept of a legislative initiative is what's done in 1st reading. That means that simply adding amendments in 2nd reading that fall outside the scope of the original bill are not allowed. 6/?
However, it's a frequent practice – even if violating the standing orders – to introduce such changes. Volodin has spoken out against this practice, but it continues to happen. 7/? kommersant.ru/doc/4276799
Krasheninnikov says that the amendments don't go against the concept of the original bill – and, conveniently, he's the one who decides whether proposed amendments do or do not fall within the scope of the original bill. 8/?
But it's difficult to agree with his position that the amendments don't fall outside the original scope of the bill. The original bill proposes administrative responsibility for employers violating rules re: supplying information on labour activity. 9/? sozd.duma.gov.ru/bill/748758-7
At base, then, there's quite profound irony in violating (legislative) rules in order to introduce legal changes specifying punishments for violating (voting) rules... 10/?
I'm writing a book about these types of changes to bills in the State Duma (which, I hope, is more interesting than it might sound here). Here's an article output from this research project, if you're interested. 11/? journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.117…
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