OREANDA-NEWS. February 26, 2009. Dmitry Medvedev introduced a draft law to the State Duma on making amendments to the laws relating to voter representation in the State Duma.

The draft law is intended to implement one of the proposals made by the President of Russia in his address to the Federal Assembly on 5 November 2008. The President had proposed that representation in the State Duma (lower house) be ensured for voters who voted for parties which did not gather more than the 7% of the vote necessary to enter the Duma and consequently did not win any seats.

The President’s proposal stipulated that those parties which gathered 5-6% of the vote can receive one seat each, while those that gathered 6-7% of the vote can get two seats each.

The draft law also defines the relevant rights of such parties and their representatives who won seats.