“United Russians” continued brainstorming on the topic of party government. Vice-speaker of the State Duma Oleg Morozov detailed the procedure of candidate’s nomination to prime minister from the parliamentary majority. And his colleagues are preparing a new initiative: to allow a winner party to elect the whole Cabinet of Ministers.
State Duma’s deputies of the next calling can give recommendations to the President on candidatures of prime minister, if amendments to the laws “On political parties” and “On Government”, prepared by first vice-speaker Oleg Morozov, will be adopted. “Vedomosti” managed to îçíàêîìèòüñÿ with a draft of amendments. “The party got majority of places has the right to propose a candidate for the position of chairman of government”, offers the “United Russian”.
The procedure worked out by him copies the mechanism of nomination of candidates to governors from a winner party at regional elections. Initially the governing body of the party determines a candidate for the position of premier. Then it is proposed to State Duma’s consideration. If it is approved, the statement with candidate’s surname goes to the President, who proposes his own candidate to the State Duma in two weeks. If two parties got equally divided votes at elections, the parliament considers an offer from both of them, and the surname supported by the majority is sent to the President. Only the deputies of the next calling will get this right. Morozov said that this construction reminds the “French model”.
Sent his amendments to the Presidential Administration, Morozov does not hurry to propose them to the State Duma. During his interview to “Vedomosti” he expressed hope that after examination the President will propose the law from his own name. But “United Russians” are not going to stop on it. The source from Morozov’s surroundings confesses that the party has braver initiative — to propose all the members of the Cabinet of Ministers to the President.
“The Kremlin has taken the policy on strengthening of the role of political parties. It is not excluded that both the next president and the next government will be formed on the party basis”, explained director of the Center for Current Politics in Russia Konstantin Simonov. Political scientist Stanislav Belkovsky gives the same comments: “Having won at the parliamentary elections, in case of adoption of this law "United Russians" can propose their prime minister who will become a successor”.
Published: the newspaper “Vedomosti”, 8.12.2005
