On January 15, the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, started its spring session with many important and controversial bills to consider within weeks. Such bills as the return of independent candidates in legislative elections to bans on smoking and the “propaganda” of homosexuality are among them.

      This spring session is the third of the sixth convocation. The lower house in this present membership was formed in December 2011.

      Among the most important legislations for considering is the one which would reintroduce an electoral system in which half the Duma’s 450 deputies could be elected as independent candidates unaffiliated with any party and legislation that would simplify the procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship.

      Opposition parties plan to make another step in a big adoption ban fight, submitting the legislative initiative in order to cancel the amendment that bans the adoption of Russian orphans by US citizens. Recently, over 100,000 Russian people have signed a petition to cancel the amendment, which obliges the parliament to treat the petition as a legislative initiative.