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The draft federal law is submitted to the State Duma (the lower house of parliament) in accordance with Point d, Article 84 of the Constitution.

The draft law was drawn up in the aim of implementing the relevant proposals outlined in the Annual Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly (parliament).

Addressing the Federal Assembly on November 5, 2008, Mr Medvedev said: “The Federation Council should be made up only of people elected to the representative assemblies and deputies from the local self-government bodies of the region in question. The residence requirement that requires members of the Federation Council to have lived for a particular number of years in the region should be abolished. In this way, people who have gone through a procedure of public election, have experience of working with voters and represent not only the regional authorities but most importantly represent the region’s people will work in the Federation Council.

The necessary changes should be carried out without upheavals and big shuffles of personnel, allowing a transition period and measures to preserve the Federation Council’s human resource potential.”