On 12 December the Plenary Session of the XI International Constitution Forum took place in the meeting hall of the Saratov Region Duma. Dedicated to the 110th SSU anniversary the conference was titled the Constitution Law in the Modern Russia: Values, Principles, Institutions, and Regulations.
Annually, the event is held due to Dean of the SSU Faculty of Law, Professor, and Merited Lawyer of Russia Galina N. Komkova. Last year the forum was devoted to the 25th anniversary of the Russian Constitution, while this year the research community has discussed theory issues of the constitutional law in order to develop and improve the work of law bodies in the Russian Federation.
In SSU a few panel discussions were held, and undergraduates, master degree students, and postgraduates participated in it. The Plenary Session, in its turn, was attended by representatives from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan.
The meeting members were welcomed by Chair of the Saratov Region Duma Alexander S. Romanov.
‘It is symbolic that we meet in the main legislative body of the Saratov Region and discuss the most important law of the country on Constitution Day. It is also symbolic this forum is dedicated to the 110th anniversary of Saratov University, one of the oldest and leading research-to-education centres in Russia.’
Besides, he commented whether some articles of the Constitution were up-to-date or should be revised.
‘Last year Chair of the Russian Government Dmitrii Medvedev published an article in the Law journal, where he wrote that some articles of the Constitution could be changed considering the state of affairs. Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, in his turn, suggested that the main law of the country should be analysed and maybe revised if it did not correspond with the modern law situation. However, the Speaker marked that the basic premise of the Constitution had to be preserved. Surely, the main law of Russia is valued for its inviolability,’ highlighted Alexander Romanov.
Chair of the region parliament also pointed out that the society should be legally literate.
In his welcoming speech Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Igor G. Malinskii reminded that the developments of Saratov Region researchers had been directly related to the acting Constitution. In September 1990 the staff members of the Department of State Law, Kurskii Saratov Law Institute prepared a Constitution project, which they sent to the Constitution Committee. According to the jury, the Saratov (it has been called like that since then) project of the Russian Constitution was awarded with the 2nd prize. In total, they received 38 projects.
‘Thus, the Saratov project is the earliest project of the Constitution in Russia, and it marked a new stage in the history of the country. The agenda of the event is so diverse, and it includes many up-to-date issues. I wish that all of you would productively discuss the ways to develop and improve work of law bodies,’ added Igor Malinskii.
Then Chair of the Plenary Session Galina Komkova delivered a report on the modern paradigm of constitutional law. In her opinion, constitutional law belonged to the categories that could be changed, and it had to be revised. Associate Professor of Kutafin Moscow State Law University Natalia Ye. Tayeva spoke about the modern development trends of constitutional law institutionalisation.
One of the authors of the Saratov project of the Constitution, Professor of the Department of Civil and Legal Disciplines, Moscow City University, Tatyana M. Pryakhina presented her report titled the Culture and Constitutional Development of Russia. She said that there had been premises for the successful Constitution project to have been developed in the Saratov Region.
‘Saratov has been considered as a culture centre for many years, and the project was developed in that cultural environment. The role of arts is extremely important, its mission is to make people more noble and eager to improve their lives for better. And the Constitution has the same mission. The law objective is to harmonise public relations. And the Saratov Region is the exact place to create law aesthetics and develop new law standards.’
That topic was then discussed by Professor of the SSU Department of State and Law Theory Yurii V. Varfolomeyev, who delivered the report titled Oleg Rumyantsev’s ‘Documentary Poem’: History of the 1990-1998 Russian Constitutional Reform.
Associate Professor, Chair of the Department of Civil Law and Process, Povolzhsky Institute of Management named after P.A. Stolypin, Tatyana V. Milusheva spoke about the principles of law-governed states and how they were implemented in the Russian Constitution.
The audience listened attentively to the report by Professor, Chair of the Department of Political Sciences Alexander A. Vilkov. He commented on the values and principles of social justice in the Russian constitutional system. The professor analysed what mutual interests the authorities and the society shared.
Other topics discussed at the Plenary Session included the following ones – ecology and natural resources laws, legal abuse in the Russian court system, how to make modern Russian youth to establish the political and legal culture, etc.
After the Session the forum members attended the conference sections in SSU Bldg. XII.
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