Duma Opens Session to Consider Govt Drafts

Deputies, keen to finish their extraordinary session on Thursday, decided to shorten their lunch break and extend the session by two hours to 8 p.m. (1600 GMT). But the session got off to a bad start when a failure of their electronic voting system forced an unscheduled break. Prime Minister Sergei Kiriyenko told a cabinet session it was vital to have the package of laws at the core of the government`s anti-crisis programme approved by parliament by Monday, Itar-Tass news agency reported. The crisis-ridden government is running against time as the board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) meets on July 20 to approve the first $6 billion tranche of a huge funding package to avert Russia`s possible financial collapse. The overall two-year package agreed with the IMF and other lenders on Monday amounts to $22.6 billion. But the IMF`s agreement is at least partly conditional on Duma approval of the government`s austerity measures. The Duma has passed some of the draft laws, partially or finally. Some were thrown out and at least nine more draft laws, including a revision of personal income tax rules, were due to be considered on Thursday. The Federation Council meets on Friday and Saturday to consider the laws passed by the Duma before they go to President Boris Yeltsin for approval. Yeltsin has the constitutional right to introduce some measures by decree but he cannot change tax legislation - the most ailing area of Russia`s finances.