The lawmaker has vowed to challenge the decision, insisting he has been sick and missed only about a week without a valid reason
A Russian MP has been stripped of his mandate after an internal probe at the State Duma, the country’s lower chamber of parliament, established he has been skipping work for about two years, missing some 200 days without a valid excuse.
The lawmaker with Russia’s right-wing Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR), Yuri Napso, was booted from the legislature on Wednesday, with the decision backed by 345 MPs of the 450-strong body. The LDPR faction, as well as members of the Russian Communist Party (KPRF) largely abstained from voting.
It was determined that the legislator was effectively absent from the Duma beginning in April 2023, and resided in the United Arab Emirates. Napso skipped about 200 workdays without having a valid reason. The mandate termination process can be launched after an MP has not attended a session for a total of 30 days.
“The decision comes into force on the day of its adoption. The State Duma strengthens accountability for work and attendance of the lawmakers, continuing to increase discipline. Each MP has a special legal status, which imposes responsibility and obligations,” the legislature stressed.
Napso, however, has rejected the decision, condemning it as “rushed” and not properly investigated, and promising to challenge it in court. Speaking to Russian daily RBK, the now former lawmaker claimed the skipped work days must be consecutive to merit the revocation of his mandate.
“They have added up the days that were between unpaid leave and between sick leaves during remission. They have added them up, and it turned out to be more than 200 days,” Napso asserted, claiming he has only skipped a mere six workdays without a valid reason.
The impending dismissal of the lawmaker has been rumored since last October, when State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin reportedly tasked the legislature’s internal regulation and mandate commission to look into the affair. The situation has been also assessed by the legislature’s ethics commission, with head Vassily Piskarev strongly condemning the Napso’s behavior.
“The status of an MP, as a people’s representative, implies both great powers and special responsibility – to his voters, to the state and to his fellow lawmakers. In accordance with the law, failure of an MP to fulfill his duties for 30 or more calendar days is a reason for termination of his tenure,” Piskarev said earlier this year.
