The CEC refused the Communist party in the referendum on pension reform
The Central election Commission (CEC) ruled that the relevant statutory question, the Communist party proposed for a referendum on raising the retirement age. At the meeting the CEC Chairman, Ella Pamfilova said that the imposition of the issue to a referendum may, however, CEC has some claim to the formulation, which was developed by the Communist party.
She suggested to the Communists, exactly how they need to change the wording of the question that the CEC had no complaints. Ella Pamfilova even promised that the members of the CEC will give a positive conclusion if the initiators will officially propose a new version of the question. For this the Communist party must create a new initiative sub-group in any region of the country. The sub-group should hold a meeting to approve a new version of the question, submit the documents to the election Commission of the region, which will direct the question to the CEC for legal evaluation.
The Communists offered to the referendum question: “do you Agree that in Russia the age of eligibility for appointment of insurance old-age pension must not be increased?” The lawyers of the Communist party said that are confident in the integrity of the proposed text, since no mention is made of the government. Russian legislation forbids to make a referendum on the issues “within the Constitution of the Russian Federation, Federal constitutional laws to the exclusive competence of Federal bodies of state power.”
In June the government submitted to the state Duma a bill to raise the retirement age for women from 55 to 63 years for men from 60 to 65 years. On 19 July the state Duma approved in the first reading. The document was supported only by deputies of “United Russia”, other factions, including the Communist party, voted against.