The draft law is intended to implement one of the proposals made by the President of Russia in his address to the Federal Assembly on 5 November 2008. The President had proposed that representation in the State Duma (lower house) be ensured for voters who voted for parties which did not gather more than the 7% of the vote necessary to enter the Duma and consequently did not win any seats.
The President’s proposal stipulated that those parties which gathered 5–6% of the vote can receive one seat each, while those that gathered 6–7% of the vote can get two seats each.
The draft law also defines the relevant rights of such parties and their representatives who won seats.