Donetsk, Sep 6 - DAN. The announcement that Dmitriy Trapeznikov stepped in as acting Donetsk People’s Republic head cannot stand criticism from the legal point of view, chairman of the DPR parliament committee on criminal and administrative legislation (Free Donbass faction) Alexey Zhugulin said on Thursday.
“The current decision to announce (not to appoint!) the acting DPR head cannot withstand any criticism from the legal point of view,” Zhigulin said.
He reminded that the DPR head’s powers could be terminated early in case of his death (no other cases or decisions by other bodies except those designated in the Constitution provide the reason for termination of the DPR head’s powers according to Part 4, Article 61 of the Fundamental Law). Under Article 62 of the Constitution, the powers of the Head are handed over to first deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers. The DPR had no first deputy chairpersons of the Council of Ministers; it only had deputies Dmitriy Trapeznikov, Alexander Timofeyev and Yekaterina Matyuschenko.
“At the same time, we acknowledge that this (announcement) is a forced temporary measure caused by the necessity to keep hold of the Republic’s social sphere,” Zhigulin said.
The Republic’s parliament at its next session will resolve the issue “of the protection of people’s power mechanisms” and make a decision on general election.
An explosion ripped through the Separ restaurant in the centre of the DPR capital at around 17:00 on August 31, killing the Republic’s Head Alexander Zakharchenko and his guard. Twelve people were wounded; five of them were hospitalised and outpatient treatment was provided to another seven.
DPR Council of Ministers deputy chairman Dmitriy Trapeznikov became acting DPR head.*jk