How accepted laws in the Russian parliament!

Putin's poodles in the doghouse for failing to turn up

They are often dismissed as Vladimir Putin's political poodles, but now deputies in the Russian parliament apparently cannot even muster the will to turn up to do as they are told.

When they voted 449-0 to pass a tough new drink-driving law it seemed like just another rubber-stamp decision from a Duma renowned for its slavish obedience to Mr Putin, the Prime Minister.

That was until a television report disclosed that only 88 members had actually voted. Deputies were shown scurrying around rows of empty seats in the chamber, pressing the voting buttons of absent MPs during the 20 seconds allowed for voting.

"One physically fit deputy has time to press nine buttons," Ren TV reported sardonically, as an MP was shown rushing from desk to desk.
The video, now an internet hit with Russians, provoked anger in Mr Putin's ruling United Russia party, which holds two thirds of the seats in the 450-member Duma. Sergei Neverov, a senior party official, said "truant" deputies should be kicked out. The TV film also drew a sarcastic reaction in Russian newspapers, with Komsomolskaya Pravda commenting: "We suspected that our people's deputies do not sit around in the State Duma all day long, but come on, 88 out of 450 is too much."

President Medvedev suggested that this might actually have been a good day in the Duma. He threatened last month to have absent deputies expelled. "I am amazed myself by the picture in the parliament when only 10 to 15 per cent of the members are present," he said. "As for those who don't go, let's change the legislation and let them go somewhere else."

During last week's vote the acting Speaker, Oleg Morozov, appeared less concerned by the voting sham than by those present missing one of the voting buttons. He demanded to know who had "gone out of the hall". When deputies shouted back ironically that the missing vote belonged to the absent Speaker, Boris Gryzlov, one of Mr Putin's top lieutenants, Mr Morozov retorted: "Stop it. Gryzlov always votes!"

United Russia deputies include celebrities, many of whom rarely attend. They also include Josef Kobzon "Russia's Frank Sinatra" and former Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, erroneously alleged to be Mr Putin's mistress in 2008 by a Moscow newspaper owned by Alexander Lebedev, who owns Britain's The Independent and Evening Standard.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article7137684.ece

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[Schreibsessel]

Thats how democracy works :D

[Maximus89Romulo03]

Putin: PROBLEM?

[BaltijosTigras]

that was funny XD

[DaDooM88]

putincracy

[crisshady198666]

motherfu__ers, vote for them

[markjartansson]

My opinion! Iran and Nord Korea are placed for injustice with these sanctions Big protest I recommend changing in FN four more Nations as a permanent members of security council IRAN LYBIA BRAZIL SYRIEN.,,,,I´m not surprised that East Timor showed op at the last second and was chosen instead of Iran in a department within FN. An old APPROACH.,,,,mar kjartansson 24t blog Mingler.dk

[LunaticQuutamo]

It looks more then a funny chair game, than a serious vote.

[g0rn0stai]

@Spyx09 you are right)