Only 11 Federation Council deputies voted for the bill, which had been slightly rejigged by the State Duma since the last attempt to get it through the upper house of parliament, when 12 deputies supported it. Ninety votes are necessary to get legislation through.
Though a conciliatory commission was formed to reach a compromise, Duma deputies on the commission did not back down on the law's major point -- whether the majority of the next Duma will consist of deputies who will win elections in local constituencies or party nominees elected on federal lists.
However the rules for next June's presidential election will probably be set in time for the polls. The upper house on Thursday passed the Duma's law on such elections after the Duma agreed to reduce the number of signatures needed for nomination to 1 million.
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