Russian senators have decided to create a code of ethics

The Federation Council has prepared a draft code of ethics for senators. Rules of conduct for legislators and responsibility for their violation, as well as communicating with the media rules will be written in it, including novels, such as the rules of communication with the media parliamentarians, as well as rules limiting self-PR. This was announced at a workshop held in the Federation Council with the participation of members of the Committee of the upper house, and according to the regulations of the Constitutional Legislation Committee. While senators intend to adopt the Code of Ethics for them, later its principles are assumed to be extended to the State Duma.

The idea of ​​a unified code of ethics of parliament appeared for the first time in St. Petersburg lawmakers.  

Vadim Tulpanov supposes that the need for a code of ethics of a Senator (MP) is relevant today as ever. After all, the final analysis on the behavior of a representative of the legislature depends on public confidence in the parliament as a whole.

Therefore, the authors of the Code, in addition to the traditional rules of the dress code, the more serious aspects of the ethics of parliamentary behavior were included in the document. For example, rules of senator conduct, his responsibilities in the region, as well as responsibility for violation of the rules and mechanisms for resolving conflicts (for example, if a senator allowed himself to unethical behavior, the Chamber Board may recommend him to bring oral or even a public apology).

It also appeared that such innovations as the rule of respecting the Senator before press, the inadmissibility of exerting pressure on other members of the Chamber through the media. According to Tyulpanov, the main thing now - is to create mechanisms for the application of these rules. His colleague in the Federation Council, the head of the Committee on Constitutional Legislation Andrei Klishas sees the problem that sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the use by parliamentarians their rights and the abuse of this right. For example, everyone knows the tactics of "Italian" strike when the discussion deliberately delayed for many hours (tactic was applied in 2012, one of the opposition factions in the State Duma in the vote on the law-in-draft on rallies).

In 2012, the opposition in the Duma were actually torpedoed the attempts of United Russia deputies adopt a similar code of ethics. The greatest indignation among the deputies of the opposition provoked a punishment for absent - there were, and cases where the faction in full left the room.

In world practice, we see many examples of how the presence of the parliament's own code of ethics, as well as situations where parliamentarians rules of conduct are regulated in several legal acts. For example, the deputies of the German Bundestag formally Code not, but the general rules of parliamentary conduct contained in the Constitution and the laws on political parties, on the parliament and even in the Criminal Code, where there is an article, which prohibits "the purchase and sale of votes" of parliamentarians. There is adopted a code of conduct in the US for the congressmen, their assistants and parliamentary staff workers of 12 points, according to which they should behave in such a way that their behavior enhances the credibility of the House. The UK Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament requires them to behave in a way to maintain and enhance the reputation of Parliament.

While the code of ethics of senators is under finalization, and its concept is taking shape, its role could easily be played by a code of conduct for the MP, such an oath. It does not require long development and may well include a few basic principles of respect for the parliamentary ethics. Many categories of civil servants: the military, emergency workers, health care workers, judges and so on take oath today.

This oath, according to Peter Ogorodnicov, the employee attaches to the corporate culture is a factor counteracting negative processes in the team, such as corruption, mutual responsibility, red tape and so on. By the way, this week President Vladimir Putin in the course of fight against corruption instructed his administration to introduce the oath for all state employees.