The Hindu : Improve living standards: Putin

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 30, 2003

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International

Improve living standards: Putin

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW DEC. 29. The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, urged lawmakers to assign priority to raising people's living standards, as the newly elected Parliament went into session on Monday.

"We should first of all concentrate on problems that are directly related to the quality of life of Russian citizens," Mr. Putin told the State Duma, the Lower House of the Russian Parliament elected earlier this month.

Parliament and the Government "must achieve credible, tangible progress in improving conditions of people's lives."

For the first time in Russia' post-Soviet history, the President will have absolute control of the Legislature, with the pro-Kremlin party, United Russia, proving on the floor today that it has a two-thirds majority in the State Duma.

United Russia won 246 seats in Dec. 7 election, and has since increased its strength to 300 in the 450-seat Assembly at the expense of independents and turncoats. Communists control 52 seats, less than half they had in the previous Legislature, while the new left-leaning bloc Rodina (Motherland) and Mr. Vladimir Zhirinovsky's ultra-nationalists having 36 seats each.

It is the first State Duma in 10 years that has no representation from the two main pro-Western parties, Yabloko and the Union of Rightist Forces, which were routed in this month's election.

The United Russia leader, Boris Gryzlov, a close confidante of Mr. Putin, was elected House Speaker by an overwelming majority today.

Last week he resigned from the post of Interior Minister to switch to Parliamentary work.

In his inaugural address to legislators, Mr. Gryzlov identified three top tasks for the new State Duma: doubling the GDP by 2010, fighting poverty and reforming the Armed Forces.

The election of a loyal Parliament has been a big boost for Mr. Putin as he begins a re-election campaign for the March 14 presidential poll.

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