The Russian Federation

Political Institutions

Presentation Outline

II. Political Institutions

a) The Executive Branch

b) The Legislative Branch

c) The Judicial Branch

d) The Party System

e) The Electoral System

President (Head of State and Chief Executive)

Vladimir Putin - Commander of the Armed Forces

-appoints security and defense ministries (power ministries) - emergency decree powers-nominates judges to Supreme and Constitutional Courts - appoints regional Governors- Limited to two successive 6 year terms - can veto legislation and dissolve the Duma

Prime Minister (Head of Govt)

Dimitri Medvedev

Leader of the DumaAppoints all Ministers except Foreign Affairs and Defense Ministers

Must have confidence of Duma to rule Legislative Branch

Lower House

Duma (450)

- can make and amend legislation- can overturn presidential veto with supermajority- can impeach president- must approve President’s appointment of Prime Minister

Upper House

Federation Council (166)

-appointed by regional legislature and Governor- can make and amend legislation- power to ratify international treaties- approves presidential nominations to Supreme Court and Constitutional Court-must approve president’s emergency decree powers

Russian Electorate - citizens over 21 years elects President and Duma in separate elections

elects

appoints

Mixed Presidential-parliamentary system

II. a) The Executive Branch

Russia uses a mixed presidential-parliamentary system similar to that of France:

President (Chief Executive + Head of State)Prime Minister (Head of Government)

The Russian PresidentHead of State and Chief Executive

• Most powerful political institution in Russia• Elected to a 6 year term, limited to two successive terms• Has emergency decree powers• Can veto laws passed by the Duma• Appoints the Prime Minister• Can dissolve the Duma and call new elections• Nominates supreme and constitutional court judges• As of 2012 no longer appoints but can remove governors

for corruption and “conflict of interest.”• Appoints Power Ministers (Defense + Foreign Affairs)

1991 -2000 2000-2008 2008-2012 2012-2018

Timeline of Russian Presidents, 1991-present

Boris Yeltsin Vladimir Putin DimitriMedvedev Vladimir Putin

Prime MinisterHead of Government

• Appointed by the President• Does not necessarily have to hold a seat in the

Duma• Runs the economy and recommends the

appointment of ministers (other than defense + foreign affairs) to the president

• Drafts and proposes legislation• Can be dismissed by the President or removed

by the Duma in a lost confidence vote

II. b) The Legislative Branch

• Russia has a bicameral legislature.• The Duma (Lower House) is based on

representation by population• The Federation Council (Upper House) is

based on regional representation

The Duma•Directly elected to 5 year terms•Creates and amends laws•Approves presidential appointment of Prime Minister•Can impeach the President with a supermajority vote (over 66%)- this nearly happened to Yeltsin•Can overturn presidential veto with a supermajority (over 66%)•450 seats

The Federation Council•Appointed by regional legislature and Governor•Makes and creates legislation•Approves President’s nominations to Supreme and Constitutional Courts•Ratifies treaties and approves deployment of troops•166 members

II. c) The Judicial Branch

• Russia has a formal Legal Code• According to the Russian Constitution, the

judicial branch is separate and independent from the other two branches.

• Supreme Court• Constitutional Court

The Supreme Court

• Highest court of appeal for civil and criminal cases• Hears cases dealing with corruption of government

officials in the Duma and Federation Council• Can challenge the Central Electoral Commission on

issues of electoral fraud• Judges are nominated by the President and appointed

by the Federation Council

The Constitutional Court• Only handles matters related to the 1993 Russian

Constitution• Empowered to rule whether presidential actions or Duma

laws are unconstitutional• In theory, provides judicial review• In practice, has repeatedly bowed to the President• Judges are nominated by the President and appointed by

the Federation CouncilFormer Constitutional Court Judge Yaroslavtsev was quoted in an interview in 2009 that “judges were increasingly subjected to pressure from the executive branch of government and the security services were running the country like in Soviet times.” Source: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/2-senior-judges-quit-after-criticism/390815.html

II. d) The Party System

• Russia has a multi-party system• Elections are considered semi-competitive, or

procedural with frequent allegations of vote rigging or electoral manipulation

• Since 2000, Putin’s United Russia Party has dominated the Presidency and Duma, and has influence in the Federation Council (The Council does not officially use parties)

Left Centre Right

The Party system in Russia is much less mature than the British one. Fewer Russians identify with specific political parties. The strength and popularity of parties is largely influenced by powerful personalities.

Communist PartyLeader: Gennady Zyuganov

United RussiaLeader: Vladimir Putin

Liberal-Democratic PartyLeader: Vladimir Zhirinovsky

II. e) The Electoral System

• Duma Elections• Presidential Elections• Referenda

Duma Elections

• The Duma elects members using proportional representation (PR)

• Candidates to the Duma are chosen from Party Lists

• Parties must receive at least 7% of the national vote in order to be allocated seats in the Duma

• All Russian citizens 21 years or older are eligible to vote

DUMA ELECTION RESULTS, 1999-2007

1999 2003 2007

To what extent do the above legislative results suggest the emergence of a one-party dominant state in Russia?

Reaction to the 2011 Duma elections• On 5 December, up to 8,000 opponents of the government began protesting in

Moscow, denouncing Vladimir Putin and his government and what they believed were flawed elections. Protesters argued that the elections had been a sham and demanded that Putin step down, whilst some demanded revolution

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16042797

• U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on a trip to Vienna that Russia's election was "neither free, nor fair" and that there were "serious concerns" about the fairness of the election

• Mikhail Gorbachev the final Soviet Leader has called for new elections and stated that the election was slanted in favour of United Russia. He has demanded a rerun, stating: "The country's leaders must admit there were numerous falsifications and rigging and the results do not reflect the peoples' will." He added: "I think [Russia's leaders] can only take one decision - annul the results of the election and hold a new one."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_legislative_election,_2011#cite_note-50Source:

Presidential Elections

• Elections for the presidency take place every 6 years

• The presidential candidate must receive a majority of the popular vote in order to win

• Failure to win a majority in the first round results in a run-off between the top two candidates in a second round of voting

• This is known as the second-round majority/run-off voting system

2012 Presidential Election 1996 Presidential Election with run-off vote

Discussion Questions

1) Compare and Contrast Russia’s President with Britain’s Prime Minister. Who has more power?

2) It has been said that Russia is a procedural or illiberal democracy. What evidence supports this claim?

3) Will Putin’s election to the presidency weaken or strengthen Russia’s democracy?