Government

The Russian Federation is governed under the constitution approved in Dec., 1993, as amended; it replaced the constitution that the country had inherited from the RSFSR. It provides for a republic whose government has separate and independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches as well as an advisory Public Chamber. The head of state is a popularly elected president whose powers were substantially increased under the new constitution. The president appoints the prime minister and can dissolve the legislature if it three times refuses to approve his choice for that post. The legislature, or Federal Assembly, is divided into an upper house, the Federation Council, and a lower house, the State Duma. The Federation Council has 178 members, consisting of two representatives from the governments of each republic, territory, region, and area. The State Duma has 450 members. Half are elected from districts; the rest of the seats are distributed proportionally among those parties whose national vote is at least 5%. Beginning with the next election, however, all seats in the State Duma will be distributed proportionally among parties that receive at least 7% of the vote nationally. The Public Chamber, which was established in 2005, is empowered to investigate elected and appointed government officials and advise on national legislation. Its 126 members, who are appointed by the president or chosen by the members of the chamber, are selected from among prominent nongovernmental individuals and include representatives of national and regional organizations and associations.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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