Federal Assembly (Russia)

Last updated
Federal Assembly

Федеральное собрание

Federalnoye sobraniye
Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation 2.svg
Type
Type
HousesFederation Council
State Duma
History
Founded12 December 1993;30 years ago (1993-12-12)
Preceded by Supreme Soviet of Russia
Constitutional Conference of Russia
Leadership
Valentina Matviyenko, United Russia
since 21 September 2011
Vyacheslav Volodin, United Russia
since 5 October 2016
Structure
SeatsState Duma: 450
Federation Council: 178 [lower-alpha 1]
Russia Federation Council 2023.svg
Federation Council political groups
Government (136)
  United Russia (136)

Other parties and vacancies (42)

  Communist (4)
  A Just Russia — For Truth (3)
  LDPR (3)
  Donetsk Republic (2)
  Independent (27)
  Vacant seats (3)
Russian 8th State Duma 2021.svg
State Duma political groups
Government (348)
  United Russia (325)
  LDPR (23)
  Civic Platform (1)
  Rodina (1)

Other parties (102)

  CPRF (57)
  Left Front (1) [1]
  SRZP (27)
  New People (16) [lower-alpha 2]
  Independent (1)
Elections
Parallel voting
Last Federation Council election
12 December 1993
Last State Duma election
17–19 September 2021
Next State Duma election
Before 20 September 2026
Meeting place
Zdanie Soveta Federatsii.jpg
Federation Council Building, Moscow
Building of Council of Labor and Defense, Moscow.jpg
State Duma Building, Moscow
Website
Gov.ru
Constitution
Constitution of Russia, Chapter V, Articles 94-109

The Federal Assembly [lower-alpha 3] is the bicameral national legislature of Russia. The upper house is the Federation Council, and the lower house is the State Duma. The assembly was established by the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 1993, replacing the former Supreme Soviet of Russia. It is located in Moscow.

Contents

The Chairman of the Federation Council is the third most important position after the President and the Prime Minister. In the case that both the President and the Prime Minister are incapacitated, the Chairman of the upper house of the Russian parliament becomes Acting President of Russia. [3] [4]

The jurisdiction of the State Duma includes: consent to the appointment of the Chairman of the Government, deciding the issue of confidence in the Government, appointment and dismissal of the Chairman of the Central Bank, appointment and dismissal of the Chairman and half of the auditors of the Accounting Chamber, appointment and dismissal of the Commissioner for Human Rights, proclamation of amnesty, advancing of charges against the President for his impeachment and others. [5]

The jurisdiction of the Council of the Federation includes: approval of changes in borders between subjects of the Russian Federation, approval of the decree of the President on the introduction of a martial law or on the introduction of a state of emergency, deciding on the possibility of using the Armed Forces of Russia outside the territory of Russia, appointment of elections of the President, impeachment of the President, appointment of judges of higher courts of Russia, appointment and dismissal of the Procurator-General of the Russian Federation, appointment and dismissal of Deputy Chairman and half of the auditors of the all Accounting Chamber and others. [6]

Since the 2003 elections, the Federal Assembly has been referred to by analysts and observers as being a rubber stamp institution. [7] [8] [9] [10]

Powers

As the Russian legislature, all laws must be voted in the Federal Assembly before they are signed into law. All bills, even those proposed by the Federation Council, must first be considered by the State Duma. Upon adoption by a majority of the full State Duma membership, a draft law is considered by the Federation Council, which has fourteen days to place the bill on its calendar. The Federation Council cannot make changes in bills passed by the Duma and can either approve or reject them. If the Federation Council rejects a bill passed by the State Duma, the two chambers must form a conciliation commission to work out a compromise version of the legislation. If two chambers cannot reach a compromise, or the Duma insists on passing the bill as is, the veto of the Federation Council can be overridden, if two thirds of the Duma's constitutional composition vote in favor of the bill.

The State Duma and the Federation Council usually meet separately. Joint sessions are organized when:

Parliamentary centre

In the mid 2000s it was suggested that the Parliamentary centre of the State Duma and Federation Council be combined into one building. [11] [12] In 2012, the idea was supported by President Dmitry Medvedev. [13] Reasons cited for the construction of a new building included the cramped nature of the parliament members' current offices, the remote locations of these offices split across ten locations in Moscow, and the desire of the government to move the bodies away from the city centre to reduce traffic congestion.

Various areas of Moscow were examined to serve as the new parliamentary center: Kutuzovsky Prospekt, Frunzenskaya embankment, "Moscow City", Tushino airfield, Krasnaya Presnya, Moskvoretskaya embankment, Park Museon and the Sofia embankment. In September 2014, the Mnyovniki floodplain was selected, a decision which was protested by ecologists. [14]

The design of the new building was to be decided on the basis of an architectural competition. [15] The parliamentarians, however, disagreed on aesthetic decisions between candidates in the competition, which were not resolved when the contest was conducted a second time. [16]

Financing issues caused complications. Originally, the Parliamentary center was to be funded by private investors, who would in turn receive ownership of a building currently belonging to the State Duma and the Federation Council, as well as permits to tear it down and replace the building with their own development projects (such as hotels). An objection to this plan was lodged by architectural critic Grigory Revzin, arguing that the State Duma is located in the building of the Council of Labor and Defense which was designed by Arkady Langman and built in 1935, rendering the existing State Duma building an architectural monument, which would be protected by the state and cannot be demolished.

Work on the parliamentary center was to begin in 2020. [17] However, in 2016 it was postponed to an unknown date due to the economic situation and disagreements on what the center should look like. [18]

See also

Notes

    1. The federal subjects of Russia include several not internationally recognized as part of Russia. The Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol were annexed in 2014, and Donetsk People's Republic, Luhansk People's Republic, Zaporizhzhia Oblast and Kherson Oblast in 2022.
    2. Including Oksana Dmitriyeva who joined the New People party in 2024, but did not join the Duma faction of the party. [2]
    3. Russian:Федера́льное собра́ние, romanized:Federal'noye sobraniye, IPA: [fʲɪdʲɪˈralʲnəjəsɐˈbranʲɪjə]

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Russia</span>

    The politics of Russia take place in the framework of the federal semi-presidential republic of Russia. According to the Constitution of Russia, the President of Russia is head of state, and of a multi-party system with executive power exercised by the government, headed by the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the President with the parliament's approval. Legislative power is vested in the two houses of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, while the President and the government issue numerous legally binding by-laws. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, Russia has seen serious challenges in its efforts to forge a political system to follow nearly seventy-five years of Soviet governance. For instance, leading figures in the legislative and executive branches have put forth opposing views of Russia's political direction and the governmental instruments that should be used to follow it. That conflict reached a climax in September and October 1993, when President Boris Yeltsin used military force to dissolve the parliament and called for new legislative elections. This event marked the end of Russia's first constitutional period, which was defined by the much-amended constitution adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in 1978. A new constitution, creating a strong presidency, was approved by referendum in December 1993.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Prime Minister of Russia</span> Head of government of the Russian Federation

    The chairman of the government of the Russian Federation, also informally known as the prime minister, is the head of government of Russia and the second highest ranking political office in Russia. Although the post dates back to 1905, its current form was established on 12 December 1993 following the introduction of a new constitution.

    A rubber stamp is a political metaphor, referring to a person or institution with considerable de jure power but little de facto power — one that rarely or never disagrees with more powerful organizations. Historian Edward S. Ellis used the term toy parliament to describe a rubber-stamp legislature.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">State Duma</span> Lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia

    The State Duma is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia. It was established by the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 1993.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Federation Council (Russia)</span> Upper house of the Federal Assembly of Russia

    The Federation Council, unofficially Senate, is the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Russia. It was established by the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 1993.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Chairman of the State Duma</span> Presiding officer of the lower house of the Russian parliament

    The Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, also called Speaker (спикер), is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Russian parliament. It is the fourth highest position, after the President, the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Federation Council, in the government of Russia. His responsibilities include overseeing the day-to-day business of the State Duma, presiding and maintaining order at the regular sessions of the parliament. The Speaker also chairs the Council of the Duma which includes representatives from all the parliamentary parties and determines the legislative agenda.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Vyacheslav Volodin</span> Russian politician (born 1964)

    Vyacheslav Viktorovich Volodin is a Russian politician who currently serves as the 10th Chairman of the State Duma.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikhail Babich</span> Russian politician and diplomat

    Mikhail Viktorovich Babich is a Russian politician and diplomat. Russian Ambassador to Belarus in 2018–2019.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergey Shishkarev</span> Russian businessman and political figure (born 1968)

    Sergey Nikolaevich Shishkarev is a Russian entrepreneur, ex-politician, and public figure. He is the founder and chairman of the board of directors of the Delo Group. Additionally, he holds the vice-president of the Russian Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Handball Federation of Russia. He is a Doctor of Law.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Chairman of the Federation Council (Russia)</span>

    The Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, also called Speaker (спикер), is the presiding officer of the Upper house of the Russian parliament. It is the third highest position, after the President and the Prime Minister, in the government of Russia. In the case of incapacity of the President and Prime Minister, the chairman of the Federation Council becomes Acting President of Russia.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikhail Degtyarev</span> Russian politician and public figure

    Mikhail Vladimirovich Degtyarev is a Russian politician serving as the Minister of Sport since May 2024. He was previously Governor of Khabarovsk Krai from September 2021 until 2024.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">7th State Duma</span> Former convocation of the lower house of Russian parliament

    The State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the 7th convocation is a former convocation of the lower house of Russian parliament.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergey Neverov</span> Russian politician (born 1961)

    Sergey Ivanoviсh Neverov is a Russian political figure, deputy chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of VI, VII and VIII convocations. He was the parliamentary leader of United Russia since 9 October 2017 to 19 September 2021. He was the Secretary of the General Council of the party United Russia from 2011 to 2017.

    By-elections to the 7th Russian State Duma were held to fill vacancies in the State Duma between the 2016 election and the 2021 election.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Ildar Gilmutdinov</span> Russian politician

    Ildar Irekovich Gilmutdinov is a deputy for the United Russia party in the 7th State Duma of the Russian Federation. He is the head of the committee for nationalities. Chairman of the Council of the Federal National and Cultural Autonomy of the Tatars. Gilmutdinov received international sanctions in 2022 for his support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

    The amendments of 2020, which were proposed in January 2020, are the second substantial amendments to the Constitution of Russia of 1993. To introduce these amendments, Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, held a national vote. They were approved on 1 July by a popular vote.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Oleg Nikolayev (politician)</span> Head of the Republic of Chuvashia

    Oleg Alekseyevich Nikolayev, is a Russian statesman, politician, and economist who is currently the Head of the Chuvash Republic since 22 September 2020. He is the chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Chuvash Republic since 6 February 2020, and a member of the Central Council of the A Just Russia party since 2020.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">8th State Duma</span> Convocation of the lower house of Russian parliament

    The State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the 8th convocation is the current convocation of the lower house of Russian parliament.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Artem Metelev</span> Russian politician

    Artem Pavlovich Metelev is a Russian political figure and a chairman of the State Duma committee on youth policy, deputy of the 8th State Duma from 2021.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Moscow mayoral election</span> Mayoral election in Moscow

    The 2023 Moscow mayoral election took place on 10 September 2023, on common election day. Incumbent Mayor Sergey Sobyanin was running to a fourth term in office. It was a landslide victory for Sobyanin, who was re-elected with 76% of the vote.

    References

    1. ""Моя позиция с партийной солидарна". Удальцова объяснила, почему ей достался депутатский мандат Рашкина". RTVI. 24 June 2022.
    2. "Оксана Дмитриева возглавит реготделение партии «Новые люди» в Петербурге | Санкт-Петербург". ФедералПресс (in Russian). 2024-04-19. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
    3. "Пост Председателя Совета Федерации РФ – это третий пост в стране. В случае недееспособности президента и премьера именно председатель верхней палаты парламента должен возглавить государство."
    4. "Почему у нас третье лицо в государстве Председатель Совета Федерации? Потому что это федерация, он не распускается, он действует постоянно." - Сергей Шахрай
    5. The Constitution of the Russian Federation. Article 103
    6. The Constitution of the Russian Federation. Article 102
    7. Berlinger, Joshua; Voitovych, Olga (3 October 2022). "Russian Parliament begins process to rubber-stamp annexations as Moscow struggles to define borders". CNN. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
    8. Rosefielde, Steven; Hedlund, Stefan (2009). Russia Since 1980. Cambridge University Press. p. 174. ISBN   9780521849135 . Retrieved 16 June 2023. Duma election of 2003, reducing the legislature to a rubber stamp.
    9. Troianovski, Anton; Nechepurenko, Ivan (19 September 2021). "Russian Election Shows Declining Support for Putin's Party". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021. Russian elections are not free and fair, and Parliament's role in recent years has mainly been to rubber-stamp the Kremlin's initiatives while providing a veneer of democratic legitimacy to Mr. Putin's rule.
    10. Rutland, Peter (June 2009). "Post-socialist states and the evolution of a new development model: Russia and China compared" (PDF). Polis (3). Moscow: 165–176.
    11. "Sergei Mironov will make a proposal for the construction of the Parliamentary centre". Russian newspaper. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
    12. "the Construction of the parliamentary centre — Russian newspaper". www.rg.ru. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
    13. "In the state Duma confirmed the relocation of Parliament in the Lower Mnevniki". Russian newspaper. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
    14. "the Moscow Government is going to relocate the Russian Parliament in Mnevniki". Archived from the original on 2019-11-21. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
    15. "Переезд Госдумы в Мневники отложили по эстетическим соображениям". РБК. Retrieved 2017-12-22.
    16. Традиции шизофрении в русской архитектуре. Афиша (in Russian). Retrieved 2017-12-22.
    17. "Владимир Ресин: Новый парламентский центр откроется к 2020 году". Российская газета. 2016-02-03. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
    18. "Переезд Госдумы в Мневники отложили по эстетическим соображениям". РБК (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-01-24.