Presidential envoy explains pause in annual addresses to parliament by number of reasons

MOSCOW, August 18. /TASS/. The pause in the Russian president’s addresses to the country’s bicameral parliament, the Federal Assembly, probably stems from the unique nature of the current situation, which demands a prompt response rather than long-term strategic planning, Presidential Representative in the State Duma Garry Minkh has told TASS in an interview.

"I think this has something to do with the current situation," the envoy said, when asked why the head of the state has not delivered an address to the parliament since February 2024.

In his words, established practice means that the circle of those invited to the event has always been broader than just members of the lower house, the State Duma, and of the upper house, the Federation Council. "It also included members of the government, regional heads, chairpersons of regional legislative assemblies, plus the public, celebrities and so on," Minkh said.

"Today, this genre <…> probably demands greater restraint," the envoy continued. "After all, the format of the address largely included some sort of a ritual element, and it objectively should be different now."

Besides, according to Minkh, the legislative process is usually strictly determined, but at this point many issues need to be resolved on a situational basis.

As an example, he cited the government’s legislative activity plan for this year, which has 39 provisions, compared to 140-150 initiatives four or five years ago. He attributed this trend to the fact that under the conditions of the special military operation "the window for long-term planning" in legislative activities "has become very narrow."

"In my view, this also factors into why the head of the state has not delivered his annual address to the Federal Assembly for two years. So there are a number of reasons here. Maybe there are other reasons as well, and this is my entirely subjective point of view," Minkh said.