Russia set for swift ratification of Crimean referendum result
Print Edition
RUSSIA’S lower and upper houses of parliament yesterday pledged to vote into law the result of a “historic” March 16 referendum in the Ukrainian region of Crimea on becoming part of Russia.
The speakers of both the State Duma and Federation Council strongly implied that ratification would receive fast-track approval if Crimeans, as widely expected, vote to become part of Russia.
The comments came as a delegation of Crimean lawmakers, led by parliament speaker Vladimir Konstantinov, visited Moscow a day after the local parliament agreed to ask President Vladimir Putin for the region to become part of Russia and resolved to put the issue to a public vote.
“We will respect the historic choice of the people of Crimea,” said State Duma speaker Sergei Naryshkin at a meeting with the Crimean delegation and top Russian lawmakers.
“We support the free and democratic choice of the population of Crimea,” he said.
Naryshkin said the move was linked to the need to ensure the “rights and freedom of citizens and protect human life” in Crimea, amid Ukraine’s turmoil after the fall of President Viktor Yanukovych. But he acknowledged it was also prompted by reasons of “historical, spiritual and world-point-of-view character.”
The head of the State Duma’s committee for relations with ex-Soviet states, Leonid Slutsky, said parliament would move fast after the plebiscite to recognize the result.
“I think that literally in the next days after the referendum the State Duma will formalize the decision,” he said.
The head of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party Vladimir Zhirinovsky said the Crimean parliament leaders had nothing to fear.
“I want to assure you that everything will be how the Crimean people want.”
Konstantinov and Crimean lawmakers won similar assurances from the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house, which would give final legislative approval to any move to join Russia.
Council speaker Valentina Matviyenko said the decision by the Crimean parliament was “historic” and a move it had every right to take. She noted Scotland, which will this year hold a referendum on independence from the UK.
“The decision is in line with international practice. It is enough to look at Scotland ... No-one says the Scotland referendum is illegal,” she said.
A senior lawmaker, Sergei Mironov of the Just Russia Party, has already submitted draft legislation to the Duma to make it easier for Russia to incorporate part of a foreign country.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
