MOSCOW, May 26 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's lower chamber of parliament might pass a bill to cancel the "against all" option on the voting ballot during the spring session, a senior member of the house said Friday.
Lawmakers from the Tver Region, which borders on the Moscow Region, advanced the initiative to ensure the amendment was made by the 2008 presidential and 2007 parliamentary elections.
"The proposal to abolish the option is not in breach of the constitution," said Vladimir Pligin, head of the State Duma's committee for constitutional law and state development.
He said he doubted that the move might lead to a decline in the voter turnout, saying that the government and the electorate as tax-payers spent huge funds to hold elections, which can be declared null and void in some regions if the "against all" option gains the most votes.
Pligin also referred to experts who considered the "against all" option as unjustified.
