DATE=7/19/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=RUSSIA / POLITICS (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-264569
BYLINE=EVE CONANT
DATELINE=MOSCOW
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma,
has voted overwhelmingly (more than 360 votes to 35)
to approve a bill that sharply limits the powers of
regional leaders. The vote overrides an earlier upper
house rejection of the measure. Moscow correspondent
Eve Conant reports the reform bills prompted one high-
profile lawmaker to resign.
TEXT: Russia's lower house of parliament has approved
two key parts of President Vladimir Putin's plan to
rein in the powers of regional leaders and strengthen
state control over Russia.
The Duma overwhelmingly approved a bill that would
allow President Putin to disband local assemblies and
fire regional governors if a court determines they
have broken the law. In an earlier vote, lawmakers in
the upper house, where the governors sit, vetoed the
bill - referred to in the Russian media as the
"suicide bill." But they were unable to stop the lower
house from overriding their opposition on Wednesday.
Boris Gryzlov, head of the of the Duma's Unity party,
which supports Mr. Putin, says lawmakers in the upper
house refused to cooperate with attempts at a
compromise bill.
///GRYZLOV IN RUSSIAN IN FULL AND FADE UNDER///
Mr. Gryzlov says, "The upper house had time to make
suggestions on changing the bill but did not do so. As
for us, our opinion was unanimous."
The Duma did, however, approve a compromise version of
another part of Mr. Putin's package of regional reform
laws - one that allows for regional leaders to be
replaced in the upper chamber by appointed lawmakers.
The votes show just how successful newly elected
President Putin has been at pushing his agenda of
strengthening centralized Kremlin control over Russia
through parliament. But there is a fledging opposition
to Mr. Putin's crackdown against what he has described
as lawlessness in the regions, as well as the
influence of powerful business tycoons over the
Kremlin administration.
Boris Berezovsky, one of Russia's most well known
business leaders, who once enjoyed strong links to
former President Boris Yeltsin, resigned from his seat
in the lower house to protest Mr. Putin's reforms.
///ACT BEREZOVSKY IN RUSSIAN IN FULL AND FADE UNDER///
Mr. Berezovsky says, "I'm sure my choice is correct
and I hope it will help others when they have to make
decision like the vote today on the fundamental
restructuring of our state."
In recent comments Mr. Berezovsky vowed to stop
President Putin from trying to impose what he
describes as authoritarian rule over the country. He
told reporters earlier that he would resign because,
in his words, he did not wish to participate in the
"collapse of Russia." By surrendering his seat, Mr.
Berezovsky loses his immunity from prosecution just as
the government is threatening criminal action against
several of members of Russia's business elite.
(Signed)
NEB/EC/GE/KBK
19-Jul-2000 07:19 AM EDT (19-Jul-2000 1119 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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