Deprived of his seat in the Federation Council, Mizulina postulated the restoration of direct election of senators

Senator Yelena Mizulina, who is leaving the Federation Council, has criticized the system of creating the upper house of the Russian parliament. In her opinion, the current practice, when each region appoints two representatives to the Federation Council – from the executive and legislative powers – makes senators dependent on the body that delegates them, which in turn prevents them from taking an independent position, Kommersant reports.

“There must be objectivity and adherence to principles that give confidence in constancy. The best model for forming the Federation Council is elections. When you know that the voters are behind you, it is a very big responsibility and power – she said.

Elena Mizulina leaves the upper house of parliament after one day of voting on September 10. According to the representative of the acting governor of the Omsk region, Mina Akhverdiyeva, Mizulina is not on the list of candidates for senators, which was submitted to the election commission of the Omsk region for registration. Working in the Federation Council since 2015, she represented the interests of the governor of the Omsk region Viktor Nazarov in the upper house, and then Alexander Burkov who took his place. However, Burkov resigned on March 29, and Vitaly Khotsenko, the head of the government of the self-proclaimed DNR, was appointed in his place.

In her post, Mizulina made herself known for her initiatives to combat gay propaganda and limit the right to abortion. Her 2013 bill banning the promotion of non-traditional sexual relations among minors sparked protests from the LGBT community, who accused him of homophobia and incitement to hatred between social groups.

In addition, the senator participated in the drafting of bills banning commercial surrogacy, limiting adoption rights to same-sex couples and people who have changed their gender.