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Federation Council speaker blasts attempts to reform upper house

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MOSCOW, February 2 (RIA Novosti) - Reforms of the upper house of Russia's parliament should be the sole responsibility of senators and the president, the Federation Council's speaker said Friday.

Some members of the lower house, the State Duma, which is dominated by representatives of the ruling United Russia party, have recently proposed restricting the powers of the Federation Council's speaker, and electing senators on the basis of party majority.

According to Article 95 of the Russian Constitution, the Federation Council comprises two representatives of each Russian federal subject (region). One senator is elected by the local legislature, while other is nominated by the provincial governor and confirmed by the legislature.

"The Federation Council knows well what to do and how to do it," speaker Sergei Mironov said. "It's as if the State Duma did not have other problems to deal with."

He also rejected rumors that a draft law on changes to procedures for the election of Federation Council members has been submitted to the lower house.

"I have not introduced a draft law on changes in forming the Federation Council, because there is still no legal foundation that would allow this to be done without altering the Russian Constitution," said Mironov, who is a proponent of a popular voting system for the election of senators.

The speaker earlier proposed that local executive and legislative bodies should nominate alternative candidates for the upper house, and that their election should coincide with that of deputies to regional legislative bodies.

Mironov has long opposed United Russia's attempts to dominate the upper house, maintaining that senators should not be "politically motivated."

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