MOSCOW, September 24 (RIA Novosti) - The implementation of Vladimir Putin's initiative to elect heads of the Russian regions on recommendation of the President may lead to further changing the structure of the state power. One of the consequences of this reform is that there is no point in having the Federation Council (the upper house of parliament) in its present form. When governors are elected on recommendation of the President the status and degree of legitimacy of half of senators, who represent in the present senate the elected heads of the regions, will not be clear enough. To solve this issue, writes Vremya Novostei, the procedure of forming the Federation Council will most likely be changed. This, in turn, some experts believe, requires changing the Constitution.
Today, two representatives from the legislative and executive authorities of each region, appointed locally, are members of the Federation Council. But the clear procedure of forming the Federation Council is not written down in the Fundamental Law.
Speaker of the upper house Sergei Mironov believes that if the present procedure of forming the Federation Council is preserved, the executive power will be infringed upon: But , the speaker adds, it is difficult to set into motion the mechanism of election not changing the Constitution.
According to the expert Meanwhile, the Central Election Commision (CEC) is preparing a legislative base for a possible election of senators. CEC member Vladimir Lysenko reported that according to a new model For this, Lysenko says, we should not change the Constitution but simply adopt a new law .
