Just Russia Deputy Alexander Babakov confirmed Friday that he would join the All-Russia People's Front, prompting his party to announce that it would seek to strip him of his post of deputy Duma speaker, Interfax reported.
Babakov's membership in the people's front, which Prime Minister Vladimir Putin created to draw votes to his United Russia party in December's Duma elections, effectively means that he is no longer a member of A Just Russia, which is a bitter rival of United Russia.
But under the law, Babakov cannot be expelled from the faction.
So the faction's leader, Nikolai Levichev, said Friday that the least A Just Russia could do was remove Babakov from the deputy speaker post, which he held on behalf of the party.
(MT)
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