In six months, the Russian Federation will have elections for a new State Duma. All the citizens of Russia, including those living in the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, should have the opportunity to participate in this important political event. Head of the DPR Denis Pushilin, in an interview with the Parlamentskaya Gazeta edition, revealed how the Donetsk region is generally preparing for the elections of a new State Duma.
The Head of the Republic noted that all citizens of the Russian Federation residing in the DPR and the LPR should be fully informed about the stages of the election campaign, voting options, and candidates’ platforms. But the most important thing is to give people the opportunity to express their views opinion at a polling station.
“The citizens of the Russian Federation living in the DPR and LPR really want polling stations to be located in the territories of the Republics. Without any exaggeration, we would very much appreciate the opportunity to exercise our constitutional right and participate in the elections of the State Duma deputies. Last summer, when the voting on amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation took place, here were a lot of people willing to take part in this process.
It is important to learn from this experience and provide the Russian citizens in Donbass with more comfortable, I would even say, more adequate conditions for exercising their will,” Denis Pushilin said.
He also added that there has been no interaction with the formal structures of the Russian Federation on this issue yet and looked forward to its emergence, which will allow the DPR citizens to exercise their suffrage.
“As far as information is concerned, the residents of the Republic follow the information agenda of their Big Homeland: Russian TV channels constitute a priority way of receiving information. Of course, people also learn news from the Russian social media segment, therefore, they are generally informed about the elections of the State Duma deputies about as much as ordinary citizens of Russia,” Denis Pushilin said.
The Head of State also answered a question concerning his view on the candidates’ for deputies campaigning in the territory of the DPR and the LPR.
“It is obvious that since we want to fully participate in the State Duma elections, the pre-election processes should proceed in the same manner as in Russia. Of course, there can be no talk of any impediments or negotiations,” Denis Pushilin explained.
He said that more than 224 thousand DPR people have obtained the citizenship of the Russian Federation.
“At the current rate of the issuance of passports, more than half a million Russian citizens will live in the Donbass republics by September. It would be an understatement to say that this is a very patriotically-minded body of electors. Something that is just a civic duty for many Russians, for our people means a long-awaited and precious involvement in determining the fate of their Homeland,” Denis Pushilin emphasized.
