02.2008 - Source: CIA World Factbook

Executive and legislative branch - overview ("CIA World Factbook 2008: Russia") [ID 11070]

"Executive branch:

chief of state: President Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN (acting president 31 December 1999-6 May 2000, president since 7 May 2000)
head of government: Premier Viktor Alekseyevich ZUBKOV (since 14 September 2007); First Deputy Premiers Dmitriy Anatolyevich MEDVEDEV (since 14 November 2005) and Sergey Borisovich IVANOV (since 15 February 2007), Deputy Premiers Aleksandr Dmitriyevich ZHUKOV (since 9 March 2004), Sergey Yevgenyevich NARYSHKIN (since 15 February 2007), and Aleksey Leonidovich KUDRIN (since 24 September 2007)
cabinet: Ministries of the Government or "Government" composed of the premier and his deputies, ministers, and selected other individuals; all are appointed by the president
note: there is also a Presidential Administration (PA) that provides staff and policy support to the president, drafts presidential decrees, and coordinates policy among government agencies; a Security Council also reports directly to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held in March 2008); note - no vice president; if the president dies in office, cannot exercise his powers because of ill health, is impeached, or resigns, the premier serves as acting president until a new presidential election is held, which must be within three months; premier appointed by the president with the approval of the Duma
election results: Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN reelected president; percent of vote - Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN 71.2%, Nikolay KHARITONOV 13.7%, other (no candidate above 5%) 15.1%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoye Sobraniye consists of the Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (168 seats; as of July 2000, members appointed by the top executive and legislative officials in each of the 84 federal administrative units - oblasts, krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the federal cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg; to serve four-year terms) and the State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats; as of 2007, all members elected by proportional representation from party lists winning at least 7% of the vote; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: State Duma - last held 2 December 2007 (next to be held in December 2011)
election results: State Duma - United Russia 64.3%, CPRF 11.5%, LDPR 8.1%, JR 7.7%, other 8.4%; total seats by party - United Russia 315, CPRF 57, LDPR 40, JR 38"

Document(s): CIA World Factbook 2008: Russia

03.06.2005 - Source: Council of Europe - Parliamentary Assembly

Parliament dominated by pro-government forces ("Honouring of obligations and commitments by the Russian Federation [Doc. 10568]") [#32710],  [ID 11069]

"102. Presently, both the lower and the upper chamber of the Russian parliament are under control of the forces supporting President Putin. In the case of the upper house – the Federation Council - this is a recent development, prompted by the decision of a number of members appointed by regional executives and assemblies to join the United Russia's Party. In the case of the lower house – the State Duma – the pro-presidential United Russia enjoys a two third, constitutional majority. Moreover, two out of three remaining parties – Rodina and the Liberal Democrats – regularly vote with United Russia, bringing the total majority to 372 out of 450 seats. In the Federation Council, 87 out of 178 members now belong to the United Russia party.

103. This majority is a result of elections which, in the view of the Assembly observers, have not been fair. It is reasonable to conclude that the will of the electorate had been at least to some extent influenced by the media coverage which was so clearly biased in favour of the forces supporting President Putin. The recently announced reforms, aimed at reinforcing the President's "vertical of power" will further consolidate the electoral gains and the dominant position of the ruling political forces. Any future outside challenger will enter the political contest with a huge handicap. The joining of the "winning team" of the kind observed in the case of regional governors is likely to continue, not least by independent State Duma members, who are doomed to extinction when the announced fully proportional system will come into force.

104. The Russian parliament, dominated by the pro-government forces, has not only been elected, but also continues to operate in a media environment which is clearly biased in the government's favour. In these circumstances, it is difficult to conclude that the Russian parliament is in a position to exercise effective democratic control over the executive. It goes without saying that such control is a corner stone of the system of check and balances, essential for the normal functioning of democracy in the country."

Document(s): Open document