LPR Head orders to organize voting for Russian citizens living in Republic

Lugansk People’s Republic Head Leonid Pasechnik has ordered to organize voting in the Russian parliamentary election for Russian citizens living in the Republic.

Pasechnik announced the order during a video link with participants of the Russia-Donbass: Consonance of Priorities Forum, which is taking place in Donetsk.

He reminded that the Forum of Russian Citizens was held in the LPR on July 14.

“Participants spoke at length about the assistance and support provided to us by the Russian Federation,” the LPR leader said. “Most importantly, our residents who are citizens of Russia said that they were willing to take part in the brotherly state’s domestic political and public life. I have already instructed social organizations to provide the opportunity to every resident of the Republic to take part in the State Duma (lower house of the Russian Parliament) election.”

It is very important that the voice of Donbass will now be heard and taken into account, he noted.

“It shows once against that we made the right choice seven years ago to integrate with Russia. Thanks to the Russian government and the political leadership of the United Russia Party we have felt this help, protection and confidence in the future all this time. That is why were able to live through the terrible time of 2014 and develop and augment our achievements despite anything,” Pasechnik said wishing the forum participants “fruitful work for the sake of attaining the common goal, namely the strengthening of mutual ties and protection of the Russian World.”

On April, 24, 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree easing citizenship rules for residents of the Lugansk People’s Republic and the Donetsk People’s Republic. The first centre for LPR residents seeking Russian citizenship opened in Lugansk on May 6; on June 14, the first group of LPR residents received Russian passports. The Republic currently has such centres in all towns and districts. On April 24, 2020, Putin signed a law exempting Donbass Republics residents from paying the state fee for conferment of citizenship

As of mid-June 2021, more than 250,000 LPR residents had been granted fast track Russian citizenship. According to first deputy chairman of the Russian parliament committee on CIS affairs, Eurasian integration and relations with compatriots Viktor Vodolatsky, over 600,000 Donbass residents had already obtained fast track Russian citizenship.

Russian State Duma’s seventh convocation is coming to the end of its five-year term. Candidates will compete for the 450 seats in the State Duma of the eights convocation, the lower house of the Federal Assembly. Currently, the ruling United Russia Party has 343 seats after winning 2016 election with 54.2 percent of votes. 335 United Russia lawmakers are working in the Duma. The next-largest faction is that of the Communist Party, followed by Liberal-Democratic Party and Fair Russia. *i*t