Sergei Egorov angered by possibility of admitting candidates with criminal records to elections
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Penza, 25 March 2014. PenzaNews. The changes in the laws of the Penza region providing an opportunity for admission to the elections of candidates having been convicted of serious crimes after 10 years, and especially grave crimes 15 years after withdrawal and cancellation of conviction, caused confusion and outrage at the deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the region from the United Russia Party, the member of the committee on budgetary, fiscal and financial policies, pro-rector of Penza State University Sergei Egorov.
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“We have 1,5 million people in the Penza region. Do all of them have criminal records of 10- and 15-year statute of limitation? I cannot even understand why we are setting a question like this? I believe that a person with a serious conviction cannot possibly be a candidate. Don't we have decent people, that we should put a condition — “you have served time, conviction cancelled, you can be a deputy now.” I do not understand,” he said during the 16th session of the regional parliament on Tuesday, March 25.
In response, the chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Penza region Ivan Belozertsev representing the corresponding bill explained that such terms are statedd in the federal law, so the region is required to determine a similar rule.
After intense debate the bill was approved by the majority of 30 deputies, one spoke “against,” and one abstained.
After considering all the other issues on the agenda Sergei Egorov returned to the topic.
“We realize that we legalize criminals of the 1990s, don't we? The wave of these years swept Russia including the Penza region. The adoption of today's bill will give the right for legal admission to the representative bodies of the people getting out of prison,” he said indignantly.
Ivan Belozertsev tried to soothe Sergei Egorov and other colleagues.
“I understand Sergei Egorov. I may also have such an attitude to this issue. But there is a federal law, it determined this norm, we have no right to adjust it. If we did not make changes to the law of the Penza region today, the Prosecutor's office would have protested,” he concluded.
