The Crimean Parliament has voted unanimously in favor of adopting the republic's new constitution. All 88 members of parliament present at the session hall on Friday supported the decision, an Interfax correspondent has reported.

The Crimean legislature has 100 members. Russia's central government will not be required to endorse Crimea's new constitution, which will come into force following its publication in the Crimean News parliamentary newspaper. Crimean Parliament Speaker Vladimir Konstantinov said earlier that the constitution may be published and enacted on Saturday, April 12.

Under the new constitution, the Republic of Crimea is a law-abiding and democratic state within the Russian Federation, and relations between the Republic of Crimea and the Russian Federation are regulated by their treaty. It also says that the territory of the Republic of Crimea is an integral part of Russia's territory.

The Crimean Parliament has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to support an initiative to set a parliamentary election in the republic for the second Sunday of September 2014, an Interfax correspondent has reported.

An appropriate joint statement of the Crimean State Council and Sevastopol's legislature was supported by 82 of the 88 State Council members present at the session hall today.

"We ask you to support our initiative to hold the elections on the second Sunday of September," the joint statement says.

The Crimean State Council will offer Crimean Council of Ministers Chairman Sergei Aksyonov for Russian President Vladimir Putin's consideration as the acting head of the Republic of Crimea, Crimean State Council Speaker Vladimir Konstantinov said.

"That would be Aksyonov, Sergei Valeryevich," Konstantinov answered an Interfax question as to which candidate the Crimean parliament would suggest to the Russian president as the acting head of the Crimean Republic in the period before the election of the Crimean State Council. According to Konstantinov, the acting head of Crimea appointed by the Russian president will be fulfilling his duties until the election of the Crimean State Council on the second Sunday of September 2014.

(Published by The Voice of Russia – April 11, 2014)