Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday harshly criticized State Duma deputies for failing to attend parliamentary sessions and suggested they "play truant in some other place."
"This is not a part of my remit, this is an issue for the State Duma, the internal workings of the State Duma," the president said. "But as the guarantor of the constitution, I cannot help but say that I am surprised by pictures of the State Duma chamber when there sits only 10-15% of the listed members."
"We need to do something about this. It ultimately insults the people who voted for the party," Medvedev said.
The president suggested changing the regulations to force lawmakers with poor attendance records to leave parliament.
"I am not imposing anything on you, you are an independent authority, but I cannot ignore this," Medvedev said. "It is a question of discipline and, ultimately, the quality of decisions taken, including bills."
The lower house of Russia's parliament is dominated by the United Russia party, which is led by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Medvedev was a senior party member until he became president.
MOSCOW, April 2 (RIA Novosti)
