Senators supported the candidacy of Lyudmila Zharkova to the post of deputy chairman of the KS
The Committee of the Council of the Federation for Constitutional Legislation and State Construction at the meeting on June 3 recommended to appoint a judge of the Constitutional Court (KS) Lyudmila Zharkov to the post of deputy chairman of the Constitutional Court. The head of the instance, Valery Zorkin, assured the senators that his future deputy is not only experienced, but also reliable. Mrs. Zharkova herself told parliamentarians about the absence of a “gap” related to the release of Russia from the jurisdiction of the ECHR, and also asked to increase the salary of court staff.
Representing the candidacy of the future deputy chairman, Valery Zorkin drew attention to the great practical experience of Lyudmila Zharkova, who began his career with the post of secretary in court. She is one of the oldest members of the Constitutional Court, she did a lot for him, and also, no doubt, a reliable person, he assured the audience. “It is very important for me that it is in quite difficult situations – you understand, in the nineties, and now, there are all sorts of moments – always remained in the center, in the sense of the Constitution,” Valery Zorkin said to senators and carefully added: “I don’t want to say anything about other judges, but everything happened, including with the KS judges.” Nevertheless, in Lyudmila, he is completely confident, because she « never evaded in situations when it was bad for Russia. » And what the president presented to the appointment precisely her candidacy, in the current difficult situation, the COP will only benefit, summarized the chairman.
People Zharkova – the judge of the Constitutional Court since 1997, so has a vast experience, including in the justice of Karelia, confirmed the chairman of the committee Andrei Klishas. In addition, the future deputy chairman of the Constitutional Court was a judge of the responsible treatment of animals, so she may have no doubt in his sympathy, a senator, known for the active protection of the rights of stray dogs (See « Kommersant » from March 13). In addition, Ms. Zhakova, a specialist in social issues and labor law, he summed up.
Lyudmila Zharkova herself admitted that the submission to this position became for her “force majeure”, but under the strict leadership of Valery Zorkin, she expects to cope with the new tasks.
Recallthe vacancy that is to be occupied by Mrs. Zhakarova formed on April1 after the sudden death of the deputy chairman of Sergei Mavrin. His death exacerbated the personnel crisis in the Constitutional Court, which was caused by the achievement in 2025 of the age of age by four judges at once. Including after the 70th anniversary in September, Mrs. Zharkova was also supposed to resign. However, age restrictions do not apply to the deputy chairman of the KS, so after appointment she will be able to continue work.
The future deputy chairman of the Constitutional Court told the senators that the court most often satisfies the appeal already accepted for consideration, and if she does not even recognize controversial norms by unconstitutional, it protects citizens through their interpretation.
This is a great and responsible work, Ms. Zhakova emphasized: despite the fact that Russians today have no way to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the KS copes with all appeals and no “gap” arises.
In Russia, the level of guarantees of labor rights of citizens is one of the highest, said Senator Natalya Kuvshinova. But what issues of their protection are most often considered by the Constitutional Court and which of them require legislative settlement, she asked. The future deputy chairman of the Constitutional Court honestly admitted that labor legislation issues are not the most frequent in the practice of the court, although recently there have been more appeals regarding the indexation of payments. Moreover, despite several KS decisions, there are still flaws in the regulation of payment for additional work of teachers. Finally, the courts have been raising the question of the need to increase the salary to employees of the court of courts: there are relevant bills, but the problem is not resolved, but this is one of the most acute issues for the judicial system, she lamented.
There were no more questions for Lyudmila Zhakarova. “The indisputable candidate deserves our support and trust,” summed up Senator Nikolai Fedorov. As a result, the decision to recommend Mrs. Zharkov to appoint unanimously. The issue will be considered at the plenary meeting of the upper house on June 4.
