The new State Duma, the lower house of Russian parliament, will have its first meeting on December 21, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday.
“Today, I signed a decree on the first meeting of the sixth convocation of the State Duma proposed to be held on December 21,” Medvedev told representatives of parliamentary parties.
He also said he would deliver his annual state-of-the-nation address to parliament on December 22.
Medvedev called on the leaders of the parties to continue their work in modernizing the economy, resolve urgent social issues, increase the prosperity level of the country’s nationals and raise defense capacity.
State Duma elections were held on December 4. They saw the ruling United Russia party win 49.32 percent of the vote, retaining a simple majority in the lower house. The Communist Party (KPRF) gained 19.19 percent, A Just Russia garnered 13.24 percent, and Liberal Democrats (LDPR) 11.67 percent.
Independent observers and critics claimed the vote was slanted in favor of United Russia and cited incidents of ballot stuffing. Tens of thousands went to the streets to protest the vote results. The authorities said the elections were fair and irregularities were minor, pledging to investigate all violations.
