Communist Party members in Russia's lower house of parliament have complained about excessive noise levels after attendances rose sharply following a "truancy" scandal.
A recent report on Russia's Ren TV channel showed deputies rushing around the chamber to push buttons in order to vote electronically for their absent colleagues - many of whom had taken the afternoon off after lunch.
"Dear colleagues, today we can confirm that attendance has increased significantly, causing the background noise to grow," Speaker Boris Gryzlov said in response to the Communist complaint.
The rise in attendance came after the pro-Kremlin United Russia party had initiated a campaign aimed at punishing deputies who "skip" parliamentary sessions.
The chairman of the State Duma's regulations committee, Otari Arshba, said the new rules will enter into force for the fall session. He said the entry and exit of deputies to and from the building would be strictly recorded.
He said the purpose of the rules was to make deputies behave like "mere mortals."
MOSCOW, June 9 (RIA Novosti)
