The first deputy chair of the Russian State Duma Committee for Natural Resources, Ivan Nikitchuk, has proposed that members of parliament who have lived abroad for over a month without valid excuse be stripped of their powers.
“Deputies who miss house sessions without good reason, who don’t work with their electorate and who have lived outside Russia for over a month should be stripped of their powers,” Izvestia cited Nikitchuk as saying.
Nikitchuk pointed out that, considering the current budget deficit and Western restrictions, a lawmakers’ long stay abroad not only costs the budget but also undermines the country’s prestige.
