Putin rejects MPs’ initiative to hold early parliamentary elections

Vladimir Putin said he saw no need to hold snap parliamentary elections after the adoption of proposed amendments to Russia's Constitution. The idea had been floated on Tuesday in the lower house of the Russian parliament.

If there’s a lack of consensus on the issue among MPs and “there’s no such unity as the chairman [of the Parliament Vyacheslav Volodin] told me than I don’t see any need for an early election to the State Duma,” Putin said in an address parliament on Tuesday. 

The proposed amendments to the Constitution will transfer some of the presidential powers to the parliament, thus raising the question: “Does this State Duma in its current composition have the right to take on those new responsibilities?” he said.

But if the people, who go to the polls on April 22, back those amendments then they’ll confirm the Duma’s new authority.

The people are the only source of power and if they say so the issue will be off the table.

MP Alexander Karelin, from the ruling United Russia party, who came up with the idea of a snap election, removed his motion from consideration by the Duma after Putin's address.

Earlier on Tuesday, the three-time Olympic wrestling champion argued that “it would be only fair” to hold a new vote as the president is looking to increase the role of the parties in ruling the country.

State Duma veteran Vladimir Zhirinovky of the Liberal Democratic Party, who was initially supportive of Karelin's proposal, joked that Putin's words became a huge relief for some of his colleagues who were “close to a heart attack” due to the possibility of an early election.

A further urgent issue was the proposal by another United Russia party member, Valentina Tereshkova, who wanted to get rid of the amendment limiting future presidents to only two terms.

The first woman in space also suggested Putin's tenure be reset so that he would be eligible for two more runs before being subject to the new restrictions.

The president reacted to Tereshkova's suggestion by saying that it would be acceptable “only if citizens support” the idea in the upcoming vote.

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