The Proposal of Russian Parliamentarians

Minimum wage = living wage

Deputies from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation introduced a law-in-draft to the State Duma regarding equating of the minimum wage (SMIC) to the living wage. Consequential amendments of the Federation Council Committee on Social Policy have been supported.

The Parliament recognized the lack of adequate financial capacity of the state to solve this problem. Lyudmila Kostkina called increase in the minimum wage impossible until 2020, which was originally offered by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation. Deputy head of department Lubovi Eltsova led senators statistics, according to which the minimum wage in relation to the cost of living over the last year decreased by 9% (in 2014 the minimum wage was 64% of the subsistence minimum, in 2015 - 55%). Experts predict that in 2016 it will amount to 53.6%.

The adoption of the proposed law-in-draft, according to the parliamentarians, will not leave the question open.

Openness and publicity of the electoral process

Vice-speaker of the lower house of parliament, Sergei Neverov, proposed to oblige candidates for elections at all levels to take part in pre-election debates, namely, the media site. Thus, in the opinion of parliamentarians, legislative innovation will improve the legal and political culture of the electoral process. In case of refusal to participate in TV debates candidates will be deprived of airtime to opponents.

Colleagues from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation supported the law-in-draft of Sergei Neverov. Member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party Sergei Obukhov expressed the view that the debate is an integral part of the public trust.

If the relevant law-in-draft is passed, the elections to the State Duma of the VII convocation debate will become a mandatory standard.