Moscow, Oct. 12, 2021 (dpa/NAN) Russian President, Vladimir Putin has called on parliamentarians in the newly convened State Duma to combat poverty, describing it as the main enemy facing the nation, in his comments on Tuesday.

In Russia, people earn an income of a few hundred dollars per month, on average.

Putin told the five parliamentary groups to work together to create new laws to deliver economic growth, and instructed the government to set up more welfare support for those who are struggling.

The 450 lawmakers met for the Duma’s first session since the election that was held more than three weeks ago and overshadowed by widespread allegations of manipulation.

Half of the lawmakers in the Duma were voted in for the first time.

Valentina Tereshkova, 84, the first woman to go into space in 1963, spoke at the beginning of the session.

She praised Putin as a guarantor of stability.

She was one of the comparatively few women in the State Duma, who made up only 16.7 per cent of lawmakers.

Among the lawmakers were celebrities, athletes and many entrepreneurs.

Many famous figures voted into the Duma, however, did not accept their mandates but handed them over to other candidates, according to Meduza, an independent news site.

Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov and Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu also relinquished their seats.

All in all, one fifth of the Duma’s lawmakers were not elected at all, Meduza reported.

There are now five groups in the Duma, all considered to be loyal to Putin’s government