ST. PETERSBURG, February 19. /TASS/: The Kremlin has still not announced its stance on the draft amendments to the constitution, since the final ideas have not been outlined yet.
On February 18, amendments to the Russian Constitution were submitted to the State Duma’s Committee on State Building and Legislation. They stipulate that Russia’s president will execute the general leadership of the government as well as ensure civil peace and harmony throughout the country.
Commenting on the initiative Wednesday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that "it is one of the proposals under discussion and it was listed on the working group’s agenda."
"We cannot yet voice any position, so let us wait for the conclusions of the working group [drafting proposals for amendments to the constitution]," the Kremlin spokesman said.
Apart from that, he pointed out that "the prime minister exercises operational leadership [of the government] on a daily basis."
"Therefore, the difference between the general leadership and operational leadership is quite obvious," Peskov believes, yet he repeated, "all the details will be worked out and clarified by the working group."
When mentioning the number of incoming proposals, the Kremlin spokesman agreed that "so many amendments would have eroded [the quality of the constitution]."
"However, now we are speaking about proposals, and proposals do not erode it," the presidential press secretary noted, recalling Russian President Vladimir Putin’s words that it remains to be decided which of the proposals could be implemented through constitutional amendments and which of them through other legislative acts.
According to Peskov, amendments to the constitution and accurate execution of the law do not contradict each other on the path to improve the welfare of the Russian people.
"They do not cancel each other out, they complement one another," the Kremlin spokesman specified.
