255 State Duma members from United Russia voted today to back the proposal from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation urging the Duma to ask the President of Russia to acknowledge the LPR and the DPR.
The same 255 United Russia members then supported a similar proposal from the EP a few minutes later.
Thanks to the votes from United Russia members (who make up the majority in parliament), the plan put forth by the communists gained the most votes. People from the Communist Party were surprised by the support from United Russia. Some United Russia deputies claimed that the voting in the faction was voluntary, and no faction leaders required exclusive support for the United Russia plan. Others mentioned that “there were no freemen” and the decision to support the CPRF plan was conveyed to the EP faction in the morning. However, the initiators of this decision were not specified by the United Russia representatives. A source close to the presidential administration stated that the instruction came from the Kremlin.
16 deputies opposed the proposal from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, including two United Russia members – Lev Kovpak and Ivan Solodovnikov (both supported the United Russia proposal). No deputy voted against the United Russia option.
It is interesting to note that in the Duma's order on February 15 (available to Znak.com), each United Russia member is provided with the position of the United Russia faction as “against” the proposal prepared by the Communist Party. According to a source, this position reflects the stance of the faction’s presidium. “The decision made by the presidium of the faction [EP] is binding for United Russia… Violating this decision means breaking factional discipline, which could result in losing not only their place in the faction, but also in the party,” stated the source of our publication.
However, according to United Russia State Duma deputy Yevgeny Revenko, it is “simply incorrect” to claim that factional discipline was violated. “Our faction did not make a unanimous decision. Each deputy voted as they saw fit. Many colleagues voted for both options – both for United Russia and for the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, since the vote was a rating. Both proposals are essentially the same, and we demonstrated unity in our desire to support people in Donbas,” explained Revenko.
To recap, today the State Duma deputies approved a proposal from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation urging the State Duma to appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize the LNR and the DNR. The proposals from United Russia and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation are essentially identical. The proposal from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation states that Russia should recognize the LPR and DPR as “independent, sovereign states.” The EP proposal conveys the same message.
The only difference is that United Russia proposes to first hold consultations with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on a draft State Duma appeal to the president, then send its text to the Foreign Ministry, and only then to Vladimir Putin. The Communists, referring to Article 80 of the Constitution, insisted that the draft resolution should be immediately sent to Vladimir Putin.
