MOSCOW, February 27 (RAPSI) – A Just Russia party on Friday submitted a bill to the lower house to require that the State Duma lawmakers and members of the Federation Council and the government take a loyalty oath to the national interests of Russia, TASS reports.

The bill’s authors believe that a loyalty oath is extremely important in the current international situation and complicated internal political conditions.

Mikhail Yemelyanov, first deputy head of the Just Russia party in parliament and one of the bill’s authors, said he hopes the bill will be supported by all the parties represented in the State Duma.

The other co-authors of the bill are head of the Just Russia party in parliament Sergei Mironov and Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Nikolai Levichev.

Under Article 11 of the Constitution, state power in Russia is exercised by the president, the Federal Assembly (the Federation Council and the State Duma), the government and the courts.

The fact that members of the legislative and executive authorities do not take a loyalty oath upon assuming office runs contrary to the constitutional principle of the equality of the legislative, executive and judicial branches of authority, and is politically incorrect, according to an explanatory note to the bill.

The bill proposes approving the text of the oath, the oath taking procedure and penalties for violating the oath.

The explanatory note says that all members of the State Council took a loyalty oath before 1917.

The bill proposes denying the legislative powers to newly elected MPs who refuse to take the loyalty oath or terminating their authority.