Russian Senate commission proposes legislation on labeling election candidates ‘foreign agents’

The Federation Council’s Commission on Protecting State Sovereignty has proposed submitting a draft law to the State Duma on the possibility of recognizing candidates in elections as “foreign agents.”

In particular, the commission’s proposal seeks to introduce the concepts of “a candidate performing the functions of a foreign agent” and “a candidate affiliated with an individual fulfilling the functions of a foreign agent” into Russian legislation.

“This is being done so that our voters in elections have a more complete understanding of whose interests this or that candidate for elected posts may act in in the future,” said the commission’s head, Andrey Klimov. 

The commission proposed submitting the bill to the State Duma “immediately,” along with a package of other initiatives, which suggest, among other things, introducing the possibility of criminal liability for “foreign agents” (both individuals and organizations) previously subject to administrative penalties, as well as dismissing teachers for “inciting actions contrary to the Constitution of the Russian Federation.”