Russia is putting up a barrier against grant eaters. Owners of foreign real estate were again left with a loophole
The State Duma of the Russian Federation adopted today in the first reading a law that describes the conditions for the participation of foreign agents in Russian elections, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“The revival of Russia is meeting resistance from foreign countries. Our foreign opponents have placed a special emphasis on introducing their proteges to the authorities of the Russian Federation. For this purpose, foreign special services and seemingly independent structures are carefully selecting candidates for elected positions among our fellow citizens, providing them with material, organizational, informational, political and legal support,” said Russian Senator Andrei Klimov, who represented the law.
According to the Commission of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation for the Protection of State Sovereignty, which is headed by Klimov, foreign agents have already taken part in regional elections in 17-20.
“We have every reason to believe that such subversive activities will continue in connection with the upcoming elections in 2021,” Klimov said.
The law introduces a ban on participation in election campaigns for unregistered public associations and foreign media performing the functions of a foreign agent.
In addition, the concept of “a candidate performing the functions of a foreign agent” and “a candidate affiliated with a person performing the functions of a foreign agent” is introduced for those who are members of the management bodies of a foreign agent organization, are the founder of such an organization, and receive money from foreign agents.
“There is such an organization – “School of Local Self-Government”. They train citizens. According to our data, they trained 400 people in the Baltic countries, Poland and the Czech Republic. I don’t know how many of them will run. It would be better if such people did not meddle in politics at all. But, since the Constitution allows this, we do not limit them in this right, but other citizens should know who is who,” Klimov said.
According to the law, broadcasts of speeches of such candidates must be accompanied by appropriate markings. It is proposed to introduce a similar rule for the placement of their campaign materials in the media.
LDPR deputy Sergei Ivanov criticized the bill.
“Everything that we now accept is a consequence of the phobia that arose in power after the events in Belarus. I can definitely say that this will not help you. If he rolls out a nice program, people won't care that he's a foreign agent. This is not the 30s, when they were afraid of spies. You are unlikely to be able to save the existing system with such things,” Ivanov said.
Communist Nikolai Kolomeytsev said that the developers did not accept his proposal to introduce restrictions also for persons owning assets abroad.
“Is a person who has property abroad subject to your law? A foreign state can influence such a deputy or not. But you don't want to accept limitations. Such a law will not solve anything,” Kolomeytsev said.
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