The Russian Federation has a system of separation of powers. The executive, judicial and legislative branches are equal. They have a special structure and a number of powers established by law. This article will talk about the legislative authorities in the Russian Federation.
System feature
What does the representative branch of power in our country do? In accordance with the basic law of Russia, the main function of the legislative system is lawmaking. This is a very complex and very lengthy process, organized not only by the legislative, but also by the judicial branch.
The central body of the legislative branch of government is the Parliament, called the Federal Assembly. The fifth constitution is dedicated to this body in the Russian Constitution. This is a bicameral authority, the competence of which includes the appointment of various officials, interaction with the head of state and, of course, legislative activity. The State Duma, which is the lower house, is an elected body, and the upper one, the Federation Council, is an indirectly formed instance. Each of these chambers will be described in detail below.
General characteristics of the State Duma
The State Duma is the legislative authority in the Russian Federation. This lower house of the Assembly, consisting of 450 deputies, half of whom are elected directly in one round. Only a Russian citizen who has reached the age of 21 years can be a State Duma deputy. The activity of the Duma is headed by the chairman - today it is Vyacheslav Volodin.
Elections to the State Duma are appointed by the head of state once every five years. Federal Law No. 51-FZ of 2005 establishes a proportional voting system in which deputies are elected in proportion to the submitted federal lists. The electoral threshold is set. In 2017, it is 5%.
The first State Duma appeared in 1905. It functioned until February 23, 1917. The Supreme Council of the RSFSR worked in Soviet Russia , abolished by force in 1993. The decree of Boris Yeltsin "On constitutional reformation in the Russian Federation" formed the first convocation of the lower house of the Federal Assembly. Elections to the State Duma took place on December 12, 1993.
Functions of the State Duma
Article 103 of the basic law of Russia secures the powers of the State Duma. The main functions of the lower house of the legislative authority in the Russian Federation are:
- solving the problem of trust in the federal executive body of the Russian Federation - the Government;
- providing the President with consent to assume the post of chairman of the federal executive body;
- annual hearing of reports of the federal executive body of the Russian Federation;
- appointment and removal of the chairman of the Central Bank, the Accounts Chamber, as well as the Commissioner for Human Rights and Freedoms;
- declaration of state amnesty;
- charges against the head of the Russian state.
Finally, it is worth mentioning the most important function. The lawmaking of the legislative authority in the Russian Federation is the main duty of the lower house.
Representatives of the State Duma formulate bills, after which they are submitted for general consideration, consisting of three stages. An important role here is played by the Federation Council, whose members may or may not miss the legislative initiative. So, if the project still passes, then it is submitted to the Constitutional Court for examination. At the end, the law is signed by the head of state.
State Duma structure
The lower house of the Assembly contains the Apparatus - a permanent body, whose duties include financial, organizational, analytical, social and technical support of parliamentary activities. Since October 2016, Tatyana Gennadievna Voronova has been the head of the apparatus of the lower house of the legislative authority in the Russian Federation.
A special role in the State Duma is also played by the chairman. This is the leading person in the body, obliged to interact with the judicial and executive branches of government. Vice-chairmen are elected by voting at a meeting of the chamber. Since October 2016, the Chairman of the State Duma has been a member of the United Russia party, Vyacheslav Viktorovich Volodin.
The State Duma has commissions and committees. The powers of the committees include the preparation of projects, making proposals for the modernization of lawmaking, analysis of the application of laws and so on. There are only six commissions in the State Duma. It is worth highlighting counting, anti-corruption and ethical authorities.
Another structural element in the composition of the lower house of the legislative authority in the Russian Federation is the Council of the State Duma. This authority is involved in work planning and legislative drafting.
General characteristics of the upper chamber
The legislative body in the Russian Federation is the Federation Council - the upper house of the Assembly. This body is formed indirectly - two people from each region of the country. In this case, one of its representatives is sent by the legislative body of the subject, and the other by the executive body. In total, 170 people are members of the Federation Council.
The unofficial name of the Federation Council is “The Chamber of Regions”. This body represents the interests of Russian entities at the federal level. The most important principle in the formation of the upper parliamentary chamber is non-partisanship. Members of the Federation Council do not create party associations or special factions.
The President cannot dissolve the Federation Council. Meetings of this body should be held at least twice a month. At the same time, both chambers of the Federal Assembly may unite to hear the report of the head of state.
Powers and structures of the Federation Council
According to the 1993 Constitution, the legislative authority in the Russian Federation is an instance with the character of immunity. This inviolability is observed throughout the entire term of the exercise of authority. And what kind of powers are we talking about? You must refer to article 102 of the main state law, which states the following:
- the establishment of borders between regions of the country;
- approval of the decree on the introduction of emergency situations or martial law in the country;
- the appointment of the election of the head of state of the Russian Federation;
- appointment and removal of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, deputy head of the Accounts Chamber, as well as judges of the Constitutional or Supreme Court.
The apparatus of the Federation Council consists of the head and his deputies. Since 2008, the head of the apparatus of the Federation Council is Vladimir Valentinovich Svinarev. The legislative body of the Russian Federation has been continuously functioning since 1993.
Regional Representative Bodies
Representative bodies of the Russian regions are formed by secret ballot. Most of the members of the body run in a single district in proportion to the number of votes cast for the lists of candidates. The number of deputies is indicated in the charter of the region of the country.
The main powers of the regional legislative authorities in the Russian Federation are, first of all, the legislative initiative. In addition to it, it is worth highlighting the interpretation of laws, the adoption of the charter or constitution of the subject, work with regional property and much more.