Russian parliament news stories on Newser

Russia's Speaker Resigns Amid Protests

Kevin Spak — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 08:47:29 CST

Russia's protesters look to have claimed their first scalp: Longtime parliament speaker Boris Gryzlov today announced that he is stepping down, despite his United Russia party's election victory . Gryzlov heads United Russia's Supreme Council, and has been Duma speaker since 2003, making him a potent symbol of Vladimir Putin's regime,...

START Clears Hurdle in Russian Parliament

Kevin Spak — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 10:23:26 CST

The Russian parliament voted 350-58 to give its initial blessing to the START deal today, after the first of three required readings of the document. But it put off the other readings, and the final vote, until after a New Year’s vacation that ends Jan. 11, the AP reports. The...

Russia Paves Way for Return of Putin

Nick McMaster — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:04:55 CST

Russia's lower house of parliament approved a change to the constitution that extends the term of the president from four to six years, CNN reports. The move is widely seen as a bureaucratic maneuver that will lead to the return of Vladimir Putin as president. The upper house of parliament...

Russia Goes After Emo

Harry Kimball — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:55:19 CDT

Fearing a threat to the wellbeing of its youth, the Russian Duma is going after what it sees as Public Enemy No. 1—emo. Lawmakers are debating legislation to ban all signs of emo culture—an offshoot of punk music—from schools and government buildings, the Guardian reports. Lawmakers see...

Putin Slides Easily to PM Slot

Matt Cantor — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:20:03 CDT

After 26 hours out of office, Vladimir Putin was confirmed today as Russia's prime minister, the New York Times reports. Receiving 392 of 410 votes from the lower house of Russia’s parliament, the former president took the stage for a long speech on his plans for the nation—confirming his...

Russian Majority Party Offers Putin Even Tighter Grip

Matt Cantor — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:27:41 CDT

Russia’s largest party will ask Vladimir Putin to lead it after Dmitry Medvedev becomes the country’s president, United Russia's current head said today. Putin says he’ll become prime minister when Medvedev is sworn in May 7, but leadership of United Russia—which holds a large parliamentary majority—would further consolidate...

Putin Stumps for Party in TV Address

Zach Samalin — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:50:55 CST

In an announcement aired on Russian television Vladimir Putin called on citizens to vote for his United Russia party in parliamentary elections Sunday, in order to prolong "stability and continuity," and "set the tone" for March elections. He also warned casting ballots for liberal opposition candidates would cause a return...

Russia Stiff Arms International Vote Monitors

Wesley Oliver — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 05:11:03 CDT

Russia may be headed for another showdown with the US and the European Union over its proposals to severely limit the authority of international election monitors. The Kremlin wants to cut the number of observers and ban their reports from publication until after elections. The move comes just months before...