Search Results
7/23/2025, 3:11:01 PM
Deceased Russian Lawmaker's Vote Cast 11 Times in Parliament
A Russian lawmaker who died on Tuesday was recorded as having voted 11 times in the State Duma on the day of his death, raising fresh questions about the integrity of parliamentary procedures.
Mikhail Tarasenko, a deputy from the ruling United Russia party, officially participated in a series of votes on July 22, according to the parliament's electronic voting records, as first reported by the BBC Russian Service. The last vote cast in his name was recorded at 1:40 PM Moscow time, approximately one hour before Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin announced Tarasenko's death to the chamber following a long illness.
The records show Tarasenko's vote was cast in favor of laws including the denunciation of an international wetlands convention and a bill allowing widows of soldiers killed in Ukraine to use their late husbands' vehicles before the formal inheritance process is complete.
His vote was not cast on a later, more controversial bill that introduced fines for searching for extremist content online, suggesting news of his passing had reached the chamber floor by then.
The practice of "piano voting"—where deputies vote on behalf of absent colleagues using their electronic cards—has been a recurring issue in the State Duma, despite being officially prohibited by parliamentary regulations. In the past, officials have explained such instances by saying ill deputies give their voting cards to colleagues to cast votes in their stead.
However, a deputy head of the Duma's ethics committee, Yevgeny Revenko, told the Kommersant newspaper that the votes cast in Tarasenko's name were the result of a "technical failure."
The incident echoes previous cases. In 2021, at least three deceased lawmakers were recorded as voting in the days leading up to, and in one case on the day of, their deaths.
A Russian lawmaker who died on Tuesday was recorded as having voted 11 times in the State Duma on the day of his death, raising fresh questions about the integrity of parliamentary procedures.
Mikhail Tarasenko, a deputy from the ruling United Russia party, officially participated in a series of votes on July 22, according to the parliament's electronic voting records, as first reported by the BBC Russian Service. The last vote cast in his name was recorded at 1:40 PM Moscow time, approximately one hour before Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin announced Tarasenko's death to the chamber following a long illness.
The records show Tarasenko's vote was cast in favor of laws including the denunciation of an international wetlands convention and a bill allowing widows of soldiers killed in Ukraine to use their late husbands' vehicles before the formal inheritance process is complete.
His vote was not cast on a later, more controversial bill that introduced fines for searching for extremist content online, suggesting news of his passing had reached the chamber floor by then.
The practice of "piano voting"—where deputies vote on behalf of absent colleagues using their electronic cards—has been a recurring issue in the State Duma, despite being officially prohibited by parliamentary regulations. In the past, officials have explained such instances by saying ill deputies give their voting cards to colleagues to cast votes in their stead.
However, a deputy head of the Duma's ethics committee, Yevgeny Revenko, told the Kommersant newspaper that the votes cast in Tarasenko's name were the result of a "technical failure."
The incident echoes previous cases. In 2021, at least three deceased lawmakers were recorded as voting in the days leading up to, and in one case on the day of, their deaths.
Page 1