Turnover for one year
Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s message to the Federal Assembly will take place “in the next year”. According to him, the Kremlin will “guide the terms” and “clarify”.
The head of state’s press secretary added that the delay was due to Putin’s busy schedule.
“The fact that the message is announced will really happen. And when – we will also inform you. <...> The message will be announced,” the Kremlin spokesperson promised.
It was previously stated by Kommersant, based on anonymous sources, that the presidency will not address the Bundestag this year. According to the publication, “preparation” was made for the event, but the presidential administration did not begin extensive work on the text.
According to one of the editorial board sources, it would be more accurate to announce the president’s message when the situation in the military special operations zone in Ukraine becomes clear.
“Fortune telling on coffee grounds”
Earlier, a Kremlin spokesperson said that the date of Putin’s traditional big press conference will be determined after the dates of the president’s speech in the Bundestag are determined.
In recent days, media representatives have repeatedly asked Peskov when the message will be announced to senators and deputies. He always said that the Kremlin would be guided by the history of the head of state’s message.
On December 12, Peskov told reporters that Vladimir Putin is not planning a big press conference before the New Year. Still, he promised that the head of state would try to find an opportunity to answer questions from journalists from the Kremlin pool.
On 13 December, an RIA Novosti source said that Putin will address the Bundestag on 27 December. On the same day, Peskov denied this information.
“No, that’s the wrong message,” the Kremlin spokesperson said.
On December 14, a Kremlin spokesperson urged media representatives to “stop guessing about coffee grounds”.
“There is no written form (messages – socialbites.ca). “It’s definitely possible next year,” he said.
On December 14, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma State Building and Legislative Committee Yury Sinelshchikov suggested in an interview with RIA Novosti that Putin could limit himself to a written message.
“In general, December has not yet ended for us, and I draw your attention to the fact that we do not write an annual message (in the Constitution – socialbites.ca), it should be like this face-to-face. . He (chairman – socialbites.ca) can send his written message for review, and we will read it, ”said he.
Is it a violation of the constitution?
The President of Russia annually addresses the State Duma deputies and members of the Federation Council with a message. This speech is provided in paragraph “e” of article 84 of the Constitution, which is the basic law of the state.
“(President – socialbites.ca) addresses the Bundestag with annual messages about the situation in the country, the main aspects of the domestic and foreign policy of the state,” the document states.
On December 14, the chairman of the Federation Council committee, Andrey Klihas, told RIA Novosti that the Constitution did not specify the exact timing for the announcement of the President’s message.
“If the constitution or law does not specify the procedure for exercising this or that power (the article contains a set of such instructions), then the president independently determines the procedure and conditions for exercising his powers. This is especially true for the message sent to the Bundestag,” he said.
This is not the first postponement of the speech of the Bundestag in Russia. In 2017, the Kremlin decided that the head of state does not have to speak to parliamentarians at least once a year. Then Putin’s message was postponed to the beginning of March 2018. Since the presidential election was held on the 18th of the same month, the announced message actually played the role of Vladimir Putin’s program speech before the vote.
Source: Gazeta
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.