Russia’s lower house of parliament Friday stripped a leading anti-Vladimir Putin deputy of his mandate, in an unusual move critics said was revenge for his scathing criticism of the Kremlin.
The State Duma voted 291 in favour with 150 against and three abstentions to strip A Just Russia party member Gennady Gudkov of his mandate over alleged conflicting business interests.
Gudkov immediately walked out of the chamber, shaking his fist in defiance and embracing his party colleagues in farewell. His ejection had been in little doubt given it was supported by the dominant United Russia party.
“We have shamed ourselves today in front of the whole world,” Gudkov told reporters after the vote, saying he would appeal the decision at the supreme court.
“I am going to continue the struggle and I will not leave the country and hide like a hare. The country has made one step towards civil war.”
Gudkov is one of the leading figures in the mass demonstrations against Putin’s rule that have rocked Russia since December and he was one of the very few figures in the often pliant chamber to vehemently criticise the Kremlin.
A burly straight-talker with a macho moustache and who always appears with a loose tie and undone top button, Gudkov has for months blasted the authorities over electoral fraud and systemic corruption. Russia’s Investigative Committee is now examining whether he broke the law through his ownership of a private security firm while sitting as an MP. It will decide by September 23 whether to open a criminal probe.
After losing his mandate, Gudkov no longer has the immunity enjoyed by deputies and could in theory face criminal charges.
Several deputies urged their fellow MPs in the debate ahead of the vote not to expel Gudkov, saying his ejection would be just a prelude to expelling other critical lawmakers and stoking civil unrest.
“This is a dangerous precedent, this is how they started in Germany in 1933,” said Communist deputy Valentin Romanov, asking to suspend the debate over Gudkov in the Duma.
“I ask deputies not to open the Pandora’s box,” said Gudkov’s colleague Ilya Ponomaryov, also known for participation in opposition rallies.
Gudkov himself asked the Duma to hold a secret ballot over his fate so that “people vote the way they think, not the way they are told.” His proposition was rejected.
