The amendments provide for an easier procedure of requisition of
lands occupied by the first group forests (that are of special
environmental significance) for housing, including elite cottage
housing. 116 senators approved the bill "About amending the Forest
Code of the RF" at the second vote (at the first vote only 76
senators supported it).
It was Sergey Mironov, speaker from the Council of the
Federation, who insisted on re-voting. Some members of the upper
chamber tried to start a discussion, because according to the order
the upper chamber musn't return to the question. However the upper
chamber speaker as well as some other senators said that at the
first vote there had been too few members of the Council of the
Federation (though there had been a quorum).
It seems that members of the Council of the Federation had their
arms literary twisted. The senators were under enormous pressure.
According to deputies who were at the meeting, the main lobbyist of
the amendments to the Forest Code was Head of Government of Russia
Mikhail Kasyanov.
In spite of the fact that several senators registered to make a
speech on the issue of the Forest Code change, the head of the
upper chamber decided not to start the discussion. Senators
cancelled their morning decision and passed the amendments to the
Forest Code.
It's worth remembering that during the vote in the State Duma
the same amendments in the third reading failed (see the
publication "Duma Is Preparing the Forest Code" of October 7 on our
site). Then on urgent request of deputy L. Slisky they were put to
the vote once more. Just in this way the amendments to the Forest
Code were pushed through with the majority of 20 votes.
"Once again elected representatives of the people proved that
they protect not the interests of the electorate but the interests
of their sponsors, who long to legalize the forest plots that were
occupied illegally," - says Polina Malysheva, Greenpeace Russia
representative, -"And they have the impudence to hang out the
slogans and agitate the population to vote for them again!"
Based on the materials by RIA "Novosti".