Crimea approves new Constitution

Photo: AP photo

The Crimean Parliament adopted the new constitution of the republic on Friday. All 88 deputies present in the auditorium voted for the constitution, Interfax reports. In total, there are 100 deputies in the State Council of the Crimea.

The approval of the Constitution of the Crimea by Russian central authorities is not required. The fundamental law of the republic will come into force after it has been published in the parliamentary newspaper "Crimean News." The speaker of the State Council of the Crimea, Vladimir Konstantinov, said earlier that the constitution could be published and effected on Saturday, April 12.

According to the Constitution, the Republic of Crimea is a legal and democratic state within the Russian Federation. The relations between of the Republic of Crimea and the Russian Federation are regulated by the agreement.

The territory of the Republic of Crimea shall be an inseparable part of the territory of the Russian Federation. The highest official in the Crimea shall be the head of the republic, who shall be elected by deputies of the State Council for a term of five years. The head of the republic shall not hold office for more than two consecutive terms.

The head of the republic shall form the Council of Ministers and make decisions about resignation of the government. The head of the republic shall also have the power to dissolve the parliament of the Crimea in cases stipulated by the federal law and the Constitution of the entity of the Russian Federation.

The head of the Crimea can combine his position with the position of the chairman of the Council of Ministers.

Under the Constitution, the State Council of the Crimea is entitled to enact the laws that will be in effect on the territory of the republic. The State Council also receives the right for a legislative initiative in the State Duma of the Russian Federation.

The Constitution envisions a reduction in the number of MPs of the republic by a quarter - from 100 to 75. The rule will become effective only after the elections to the State Council of the Crimea. Speaker of the State Council of the Crimea, Vladimir Konstantinov, said earlier that the early elections of deputies of the State Council can be conducted in September this year. The form of the elections to the Parliament - majority, party system, or mixed - has not been specified in the Constitution. It will be determined by the law of the Republic of Crimea "On Elections", which the State Council shall approve.

The Crimea State Council will have to take about 300 laws to streamline all aspects of life of the republic after the new constitution comes into force. This includes the election law, the law of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea, the law on the status of deputies of the State Council, the Law on the Government of the Republic of Crimea, etc.

Today, on April 11, the Republic of the Crimea, as well as the city of federal significance - Sevastopol - were included on the list of subjects of the Russian Federation in the Russian Constitution. The new edition of the document was published on the official web portal of legal information. The new entities were included on the list in Article 65 of Chapter III of the Constitution of Russia - "The Federal Structure."

The footnotes indicate that the names of the new regions - the Republic of the Crimea and the city of federal significance, Sevastopol, were given in accordance with the federal constitutional law from March 21, 2014 "On the adoption of the Republic of the Crimea in the Russian Federation and the formation of new subjects in the Russian Federation - the Republic of the Crimea and the city of federal significance, Sevastopol."

On March 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a federal constitutional law about the incorporation of the Crimea in the structure of the Russian Federation and the formation of two new entities of the country. The law clearly formulates the reasons for the adoption of the Crimea to Russia. These are the results of the Crimean referendum held on March 16, the Declaration of Independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the Treaty between Russia and the Crimea about the formation of new entities and appeals from the Crimea and Sevastopol to become a part of Russia.

The document was adopted by the State Duma on March 20 and approved by the Federation Council the next day. Together with the law, Putin approved the ratification of the Treaty "On the incorporation of the Republic of Crimea into the Russian Federation and the formation of new subjects within the Russian Federation."

Pravda.Ru