MOSCOW, May 22 (RAPSI) – Russia’s communist MPs have submitted a bill on sentence of up to 6 years in prison for election rigging to the lower house of parliament. The document has been published on the State Duma database.

Amendments are proposed to the Criminal Code of Russia.

Under the bill, elections commissioners, their deputies as well as members of electoral commissions, who intentionally committed election fraud on the date of voting to guarantee a maximum number of ballots for a certain candidate, would be recognized as violators of law. Election rigging includes issue and reception of more than 10 ballots for illegal voting, marking illegal bulletins, stuffing with more than 10 sham ballots, according to the draft law.

The initiative envisages fines ranging from 500,000 to 1.5 million rubles ($8,000 – 24,500), community service for up to 5 years or imprisonment for up to 6 years for these violations.