This article discusses political parties in Russia.
The Russian Federation has a de jure multi-party system, however it operates as a dominant-party system. As of 2020 [update] , six parties have members in the federal parliament, the State Duma, with one dominant party (United Russia). As of July 2023 [update] , 27 political parties [1] are officially registered in the Russian Federation, 25 of which have the right to participate in elections. [2]
After the Perestroika reforms in the 1980s Russia had over 100 registered parties, but the people elected to the State Duma represented only a small number of parties. After 2000, during Vladimir Putin's first presidency (2000–2008), the number of parties quickly decreased. From 2008 to 2012 there were only seven parties in Russia, and every new attempt to register new parties was blocked. The last registered party of this period was the government-organized Right Cause (now the Party of Growth) which was registered on 18 February 2009. Before the 2011 parliamentary election, about 10 opposition parties were denied registration.
In 2001, the federal law "On political parties" was adopted. All parties had to be re-registered. Parties have been assigned the status of the only type of public association that has the right to independently nominate candidates for deputies and other elective positions in government bodies. One of the major provisions of the law is the establishment of a single national status of a political party, and, as a result, the liquidation of regional and interregional political public associations. [3] According to paragraph 1 of Article 3 of the Federal Law of the Russian Federation No. 95-FZ “On Political Parties”, a political party in Russia is recognized as "a public association created for the purpose of participation of citizens of the Russian Federation in the political life of society through the formation and expression of their political will, participation in public and political actions, in elections and referendums, as well as in order to represent the interests of citizens in state authorities and local governments". [4]
In December 2004, amendments were introduced requiring a minimum number of party members of 50,000 and the presence of more than 45 regional branches of 500 people each. By January 1, 2006, all parties had to submit documents proving that their party structures complied with the requirements of the law on the minimum number of members and the number of regional branches. [3] [5]
In 2009, a bill was introduced to reduce the minimum number of party members from 50,000 to 45,000, and from 500 to 450 members in regional branches. This law came into effect on January 1, 2010. The minimum number of party members was reduced again on January 1, 2012, to 40,000 and to 400 members per regional branch. [6]
On February 28, 2012, an election law was adopted meaning parties were exempted from collecting signatures and making a cash deposit for nominating a party and its candidate, and gubernatorial elections were restored. The number of required signatures for candidates for the presidential elections was reduced from 2 million to 100,000 for party candidates, and 300,000 for self-nominated candidates. The electoral threshold for parties was also reduced from 7% to 5%. [7]
On March 20, 2012, the State Duma approved a presidential bill to reduce the minimum number of political party members from 40,000 to only 500 people, and from 500 to 5 members for a regional branch.
However, after a series of mass protests and a 2011 European Court decision on the case of the Republican Party of Russia (now the People's Freedom Party), the law changed and the number of registered parties quickly increased to more than 48 as of December 2012 [update] .
A "party of power" refers to a political party that has a close relationship with the executive branch of government such that the party appears to function as an extension of the executive rather than as an autonomous political organization. [8] [9] The concept resembles that of a cartel party. [9] These parties are considered by some to have been especially established for support of the incumbent president or prime minister in the Russian parliament:
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According to studies, United Russia voters in 2007 were younger and more market-oriented than the average voter. The party's electorate includes a substantial share of government employees, pensioners and military personnel, who are dependent on the state for their livelihood. [10] Sixty-four percent of United Russia supporters are female. In the run-up to the 2011 Duma elections, it was reported that support for United Russia was growing among young people. [11]
In April 2023, a survey on the issue of the dissolution of the United Russia Party was conducted among Russians. About 2,500 people participated in the survey, mostly aged 45+. The question was "Is it necessary to dissolve the United Russia party with the inability of its members to participate in political life in the future?" the answers were distributed as follows: 65% stated: "I am for dissolution without permission to participate in political life in the future", 3% stated "I am against dissolution", 6% stated "I am for dissolution, but with permission to participate in political life in the future", and 26% stated "I am for the dissolution of all bourgeois parties". [12]
All parties registered with the Ministry of Justice have the right to participate in any elections across the country. A list of registered parties is placed on the Ministry website. In December 2012, there were 48 registered parties in Russia; 6 of them are currently represented in the State Duma as of 2021.
Name | Founded | Leader | Ideology | Location | Representation in regional legislature | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Donetsk Republic | 2005 | Denis Pushilin | Russian nationalism Donbas separatism | Donetsk People's Republic | 74 / 100 | ||
Free Donbas | 2014 | Vladimir Medvedev | Russian nationalism Donbas separatism | Donetsk People's Republic | 26 / 100 | ||
Peace to Luhanshchyna | 2014 | Leonid Pasechnik | Donbas separatism Centrism (self-declared) | Luhansk People's Republic | 37 / 50 | ||
Luhansk Economic Union | 2014 | Zinaida Nadion | Donbas separatism Liberal conservatism | Luhansk People's Republic | 13 / 50 | ||
New Russia Party | 2014 | Pavel Gubarev Ekaterina Gubareva | Russian nationalism Eurasianism | Donetsk People's Republic | 0 / 100 | ||
Volodymyr Saldo Bloc | 2019 | Vladimir Saldo | Kherson regionalism | Kherson Oblast | 0 / 64 | ||
Name | Abbr. | Leader (s) | Ideology | Years active | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Civil United Green Alternative Гражданская объединённая зелёная альтернатива | GROZA ГРОЗА | Oleg Mitvol (2009–2012) | Green politics Alter-globalism Anti-fascism Social justice | 1991–2012 | ||
Labour Party (Russia) Партия труда | PT ПТ | Oleg Smolin | Democratic socialism Syndicalism | 1992–1994 | ||
Agrarian Party of Russia Аграрная партия России | APR АПР | Mikhail Lapshin Vladimir Plotnikov | Agrarian socialism Collectivist anarchism | 1993–2008 Merged into United Russia Re-founded in 2012 | ||
Socialist United Party of Russia Социалистическая единая партия России | SEPR СЕПР | Alexey Podberezkin Ivan Rybkin Vasily Shestakov | Socialism Socialist patriotism Christian left | 2002–2007 Merged into A Just Russia | ||
Patriots of Russia Патриоты России | PR ПР | Gennady Semigin | Democratic socialism Social democracy Left-wing nationalism Soviet patriotism | 2005–2021 Merged into SRZP | ||
The All-Russian Political Party "United Russia" is the ruling political party of Russia. As the largest party in the Russian Federation, it holds 325 of the 450 seats in the State Duma as of 2022, having constituted the majority in the chamber since 2007.
The Russian United Democratic Party Yabloko is a social-liberal political party in Russia. The party consequently participated in the elections of deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of all eight convocations. Until 2003, Yabloko was represented by a faction in the State Duma and later until 2007 by individual deputies. In March 2002, the party became a full member of the Liberal International, and since November 1998, it has been in observer status. The founder of the party Grigory Yavlinsky is an honorary vice-president of the Liberal International and winner of its Prize for Freedom. Since 2006, Yabloko has been a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). As of 2021, the party was represented by factions in 4 regional parliaments of the Russian Federation. In addition, members of the party were deputies of 13 administrative centers of the subjects of the Russian Federation, 183 representatives of the party were municipal deputies in Moscow and 84 in Saint Petersburg.
The State Duma is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, the upper house being the Federation Council. It was established by the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 1993.
The Russian Ecological Party "The Greens" is a green political party in the Russian Federation. It was founded in 1992 as the Constructive-Ecological Movement of Russia "Kedr". In 2002 the party was transformed into the Russian Ecological Party "The Greens". The party endorsed Vladimir Putin in the 2018 Russian presidential election.
Party of Growth was a liberal-conservative political party in Russia which had representatives in several local legislatures. Created in March 2016 on the basis of the Right Cause party, the party's main policy stances are liberal free market economy, democracy and protecting the rights of the middle class. The party has been led by Boris Titov since its founding. The party was a member of the pro-Putin All-Russia People's Front.
Anton Alekseyevich Bakov is a Russian businessman, monarchist politician, traveler, writer and human rights activist. He is the chairman of the Russian Monarchist Party, was a member of the 4th convocation of the State Duma of Russia from 2003 to 2007 and was a candidate at 2018 Russian presidential election. Due to being known for a long series of unusual political projects such as Ural franc, the writer Alexei Ivanov coined him a "political Leonardo".
The Monarchist Party of Russia is a monarchist political party that was created in 2012 by prominent politician and businessman Anton Bakov, a former member of Russia's State Duma. It declares its aim as the restoration of the monarchy in the country, while transforming it into a modern constitutional one "with full accordance to democratic procedures and current laws", as well as promoting the monarchist conception among Russians and other people of the world.
Right Cause (PD), officially the All-Russian Political Party “Right Cause”, was an officially registered centre-right Russian political party that existed from 2008 to 2016. It was created from the merger of three parties: Civilian Power, the Democratic Party of Russia (DPR), and the Union of Right Forces, and it declared itself liberal.
The Romanov Empire, also known as the Imperial Throne, formerly the Russian Empire, is a micronation proposed by Russian businessman and politician Anton Bakov as a re-creation of the Russian Empire. It would be led by Romanov heir Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen as Emperor Nicholas III, with Bakov serving as Archchancellor.
Legislative elections were held in Russia on 18 September 2016, having been brought forward from 4 December. At stake were the 450 seats in the State Duma of the 7th convocation, the lower house of the Federal Assembly. Prior to the election United Russia had been the ruling party since winning the 2011 elections with 49.32% of the vote, and taking 238 seats (53%) of the seats in the State Duma.
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.
Legislative elections were held in Russia from 17 to 19 September 2021. At stake were 450 seats in the 8th convocation of the State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly. Going into the elections, United Russia was the ruling party after winning the 2016 elections with 343 of the 450 seats, and retaining a supermajority. In March 2020, it was proposed to hold a snap election in September 2020 due to proposed constitutional reforms, but this idea was abandoned. On 18 June 2021, Vladimir Putin signed a decree calling the election for 19 September the same year. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia, voting in the election lasted for three days, from 17 to 19 September. Final turnout was reported to be 51.72%.
Parliamentary elections were held in Krasnodar Krai on 10 September 2017. After the previous elections in 2012, United Russia was the largest party in the Legislative Assembly with 95 seats.
New People is a political party in Russia formed in 2020. New People is considered a liberal party, and observers also often refer to it as centrist or centre-right.
Democratic Choice was a Russian right-wing conservative liberal and national liberal political party, that defended the principles of democratic development of the country. Founded on February 28, 2010, at a conference in Moscow. Registered by the Ministry of Justice as a regional public organization. On September 20, 2012, officially registered by the Ministry of Justice as a political party.
Civic Initiative is a Russian center-right political party. From 2018 to 2020, it was known as the Party of Changes. The founder of the party is Andrey Nechayev, who was the Minister of Economic Development from 1992 to 1993.
The People's Party of Russia (PPR) was a Russian center-left political party created by political strategist Andrei Bogdanov, which existed from 2012 until 2019. Journalists often called it the spoiler party.
Legislative elections are scheduled be held in Russia no later than 20 September 2026. At stake are 450 seats in the State Duma of the 9th convocation, the lower house of the Federal Assembly. Going into the election, United Russia is the ruling party after winning the 2021 election with 49.8% of the vote, taking 324 seats.
The 2022 Saratov Oblast Duma election took place on 9–11 September 2022, on common election day, coinciding with the gubernatorial election. All 40 seats in the Oblast Duma were up for reelection.
The Western Choice was a Russian short-lived liberal political party founded in 2013 by opposition politicians Konstantin Borovoi and Valeriya Novodvorskaya. Konstantin Borovoi was elected chairman of the party.
A central principle behind the party of power is a party's relationship with the state (Knox et al., 2006). Parties of power have a close relationship with the executive branch which is seen to co-opt parties of power for their own political purposes (Hale, 2004). Thus, parties of power are an extension of the executive where the party 'is the actual group whose members wield power in and through the executive branch of government' (Oversloot and Verheul, 2006: 394).
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