President Vladimir Putin is expected to speak about Russia's current economic and social problems in his annual state-of-the-nation address before the country's top political leaders on Thursday, a speech that will also mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution.
Virtually no details about the address have been released by the Kremlin, which typically keeps its contents secret, but Putin will likely also touch on the mass amnesty planned in honor of the 20th anniversary of the Constitution. Putin submitted a bill regarding the amnesty to the State Duma on Monday.
Putin held a meeting with permanent members of the Security Council on Wednesday to discuss "domestic and international topical issues, and the various conceptual issues" related to his speech, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Among the attendees of the meeting were Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Kremlin administration head Sergei Ivanov, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and State Duma speaker Sergei Naryshkin.
Putin will give the televised speech in Georgiyevsky Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace at noon on Thursday, the Kremlin said in a statement Wednesday. About 1,100 people have been invited to watch the address in person, including lawmakers, Cabinet members, top judges, and journalists.
In his 2012 speech, which Putin also gave on Dec. 12, Constitution Day, he addressed Russia's education system, housing issues and job creation, among other topics.
Russia adopted its Constitution in 1993 under tense political circumstances. The Supreme Council presented a first draft of the document that limited the powers of then-President Boris Yeltsin. When the presidential administration's alternative version of the Constitution was rejected, Russia's parliamentarians sought to impeach Yeltsin for attempting to dissolve the legislature in September 1993.
To quell parliamentarians' resistance, Yelstin ordered the army to storm the Russian White House, leaving more than 140 people dead.
In December 1993, Yeltsin finally passed his version of the Constitution, a foundational legal document that endows the Russian president with broad prerogatives, including the power to decree.
As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations of the adoption of the Constitution, Russian citizens are invited to the "All-Russian Citizens' Reception Day" at the country's designated federal, regional or local bodies.
From 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time on Thursday, individuals who had submitted an application can appeal to the government through a videoconferencing service.
Contact the author at g.tetraultfarber@imedia.ru
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