Working Group Declines Medvedev's Constitutional Assembly Bid

A working group, instructed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to discuss the possibility of convoking a constitutional assembly to discuss amendments to Russia’s constitution, came to a conclusion that it was unnecessary, the Kremlin administration chief said on Monday.

“The working group ruled it was not needed,” Sergei Ivanov said.

Medvedev ordered a feasibility study of convoking a constitutional assembly after a meeting with Russia’s unregistered parties. Parliamentary forces also spoke in favor of reviewing the constitution, including the Communists, who recently proposed redistributing power between the executive and legislative branches.

Ivanov added that the Russian president’s instruction did not say that a constitutional assembly must be convoked.

The instruction “only said that this issue should be considered,” the Kremlin official added. “The issue was studied and the decision was made.”