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Petition seeks disbanding of Duma chamber

MOSCOW, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- At least 100,000 people have signed a grassroots petition asking Russia's lower house of parliament to disband, forcing the Duma to consider it, officials say.

The Novaya Gazeta newspaper launched the petition in late December after the Duma, the country's Legislature, passed a bill banning the adoption of Russian children by Americans, RIA Novosti reported Thursday.

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As of Thursday afternoon, the petition asking the State Duma to disband had garnered 109,000 signatures. The gathering of signatures is expected to continue until Feb. 1.

While the Duma will consider the proposal, no action on it is expected, said Vladimir Pligin, a lawmaker with the ruling United Russia and the head of the Duma's Constitution and State Affairs Committee.

The Duma has no legal provisions to consider the petition, he said.

In December, President Vladimir Putin said the Duma should be required to consider all petitions with more than 100,000 signatures. However, the Duma has already ignored a petition of 130,000 signatures protesting the adoption ban.

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