1.
Politics of Russia
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The politics of Russia takes place in the framework of a federal semi-presidential republic. Legislative power is vested in the two houses of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, while the President and the government issue numerous legally binding by-laws. For instance, leading figures in the legislative and executive branches have put forth opposing views of Russias political direction and that conflict reached a climax in September and October 1993, when President Boris Yeltsin used military force to dissolve the parliament and called for new legislative elections. A new constitution, creating a strong presidency, was approved by referendum in December 1993, with a new constitution and a new parliament representing diverse parties and factions, Russias political structure subsequently showed signs of stabilization. As the transition period extended into the mid-1990s, the power of the government continued to wane as Russias regions gained political. Most of the time, the executive was the center of reform, the first constitution of the Soviet Union, as promulgated in 1924, incorporated a treaty of union between various Soviet republics. Under the treaty, the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic became known as the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic, nominally, the borders of each subunit incorporated the territory of a specific nationality. The constitution endowed the new republics with sovereignty, although they were said to have voluntarily delegated most of their powers to the Soviet center. Formal sovereignty was evidenced by the existence of flags, constitutions, and other state symbols, Russia was the largest of the Union republics in terms of territory and population. During the Cold War era, ethnic Russians dominated Soviet politics and government, certain policies of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev also encouraged nationalities in the union republics, including the Russian Republic, to assert their rights. These policies included glasnost, which made possible open discussion of democratic reforms, glasnost also brought constitutional reforms that led to the election of new republic legislatures with substantial blocs of pro-reform representatives. In the RSFSR a new legislature, called the Congress of Peoples Deputies, was elected in March 1990 in a largely free, the next month, the Congress declared Russias sovereignty over its natural resources and the primacy of Russias laws over those of the central Soviet government. In 1991 Russia created a new office, the presidency, following the example of Gorbachev. The Russian presidential election of June 1991 conferred legitimacy on the office, the coup leaders had attempted to overthrow Gorbachev in order to halt his plan to sign a New Union Treaty that they believed would wreck the Soviet Union. Yeltsin defiantly opposed the coup plotters and called for Gorbachevs restoration, most importantly, Yeltsins faction led elements in the power ministries that controlled the military, the police, and the KGB to refuse to obey the orders of the coup plotters. The opposition led by Yeltsin, combined with the irresolution of the plotters, following the failed August coup, Gorbachev found a fundamentally changed constellation of power, with Yeltsin in de facto control of much of a sometimes recalcitrant Soviet administrative apparatus. Although Gorbachev returned to his position as Soviet president, events began to bypass him, most of the union republics quickly declared their independence, although many appeared willing to sign Gorbachevs vaguely-delineated confederation treaty. The Baltic states achieved independence, and they quickly received diplomatic recognition from many nations
2.
President of Russia
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The President of the Russian Federation is the elected head of state, Supreme Commander-in-Chief and holder of the highest office within the Russian Federation. The current President of Russia is Vladimir Putin, in 1991, the office was briefly known as the President of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic until 25 December 1991. According to the 1978 Russian Constitution, the President of Russia was head of the executive branch, according to the current 1993 Constitution of Russia, the President of Russia is not a part of the Government of Russia, which exercises executive power. In all cases where the President of the Russian Federation is unable to fulfill his duties, they shall be temporarily delegated to the Prime Minister, the Chairman of the Federation Council is the third important position after the President and the Prime Minister. In the case of incapacity of both the President and Prime Minister, the chairman of the house of parliament becomes acting head of state. The president is empowered to grant federal pardons and reprieves. The president also directs the foreign and domestic policy of the Russian Federation, the president is elected directly through a popular vote to a six-year term. The law prohibits anyone from ever being elected to the presidency for a consecutive term. In all,3 individuals have served 4 presidencies spanning 6 full terms, on May 7,2012, Vladimir Putin became the 4th and current president. A candidate for office must be a citizen of the Russian Federation who is at least 35 years old and has resided in Russia for at least 10 years. The Constitution of Russia limits the election of one person to the Presidency to two consecutive terms, since the constitution contains no ruling on a total number of terms that a President may serve, a former president may seek re-election after sitting out one complete term. The election of the President is mainly regulated by the Presidential Election Law, the Federation Council calls the presidential elections. If it does not call an election that is due. The Election Day is the second Sunday of the month and the electoral constituency is the territory of the Russian Federation as a whole. Each faction in the State Duma, the house of the Russian parliament has the right to nominate a candidate for the presidential elections. The minimum number of signatures for a presidential candidate fielded by a party with no parliamentary representation is 100,000. Terms were extended from four to six years in 2008, during Dmitry Medvedevs administration, the President is elected in a two-round system every six years, with a two consecutive term limitation. If no candidate wins by an majority in the first round
3.
Vladimir Putin
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Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician. Putin is the current President of the Russian Federation, holding the office since 7 May 2012 and he was Prime Minister from 1999 to 2000, President from 2000 to 2008, and again Prime Minister from 2008 to 2012. During his second term as Prime Minister, he was the Chairman of the ruling United Russia Party, born in Leningrad, Putin studied German in high school and speaks the language fluently. He studied Law at the Saint Petersburg State University, graduating in 1975, Putin was a KGB Foreign Intelligence Officer for 16 years, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before retiring in 1991 to enter politics in Saint Petersburg. He moved to Moscow in 1996 and joined President Boris Yeltsins administration, rising quickly through the ranks and becoming Acting President on 31 December 1999, when Yeltsin resigned. Putin won the subsequent 2000 Presidential election by a 53% to 30% margin, thus avoiding a runoff with his Communist Party of the Russian Federation opponent and he was re-elected President in 2004 with 72% of the vote. During Putins first presidency, the Russian economy grew for eight straight years, the growth was a result of the 2000s commodities boom, high oil prices, and prudent economic and fiscal policies. Because of constitutionally mandated term limits, Putin was ineligible to run for a third presidential term in 2008. The 2008 Presidential election was won by Dmitry Medvedev, who appointed Putin Prime Minister, in September 2011, after presidential terms were extended from four to six years, Putin announced he would seek a third term as president. He won the March 2012 Presidential election with 64% of the vote, under Putins leadership, Russia has scored poorly on both the Democracy index and the Corruption index. Putin has enjoyed high approval ratings during his career. In 2007, he was the Time Person of the Year, in 2015, he was #1 on the Times Most Influential People List. Forbes ranked him the Worlds Most Powerful Individual every year from 2013 to 2016, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born on 7 October 1952 in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, the youngest of three children of Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin and Maria Ivanovna Putina. His birth was preceded by the death of two brothers, Viktor and Albert, born in the mid-1930s, Albert died in infancy and Viktor died of diphtheria during the Siege of Leningrad. Putins mother was a worker and his father was a conscript in the Soviet Navy. Early in World War II, his father served in the battalion of the NKVD. Later, he was transferred to the army and was severely wounded in 1942. On 1 September 1960, Putin started at School No.193 at Baskov Lane and he was one of a few in the class of approximately 45 pupils who was not yet a member of the Young Pioneer organization
4.
Prime Minister of Russia
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The official residence of the prime minister is Gorki-9 in Odintsovsky District, Moscow Oblast, but his working residence is in Moscow. Under Article 24 of the Federal Constitutional Law On the Government of the Russian Federation, the Russian Prime Minister is considered the second highest position in the government, after the President. Due to the role of the President of Russia in the political system. The use of the term Prime Minister is strictly informal and is never used by the Russian Constitution, Federal Laws, the current prime minister is Dmitry Medvedev of United Russia, who was appointed on May 8,2012. Since the office evolved rather than being created, it may not be totally clear-cut who was the first Prime Minister. However, these bodies had been only Advisory functions, and had no independence, the office of Chairman of those bodies were more decorative and do not bear any responsibility, besides, simultaneously the position of Chairman could hold several people. For example, from 1726 to 1727, the government headed by six people simultaneously, Alexander Menshikov, Fyodor Apraksin, Gavriil Golovkin, Andrey Osterman, Dmitry Golitsyn and Pyotr Tolstoy. From 1905 to 1917, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, the modern post of Prime Minister appeared in 1905, after the transformation of the Committee of Ministers to the Council of Ministers. 6 November 1905, Sergei Witte was appointed the first Prime Minister of Russia, the position of Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire, lasted 12 years, during this time,7 people took this post. The position was abolished after the Russian revolution, the abdication of Nicholas II from the throne, during the Russian Provisional Government in 1917, the official title of the prime minister was Minister-Chairman of the Russian Provisional Government. This position was held by two people, Georgy Lvov and Alexander Kerensky. The position lasted about six months, and after the October Revolution, was replaced by Chairman of the Council of peoples Commissars of the Russian SFSR. In the era of the Soviet Union, the head of government was the Chairman of the Council of Peoples Commissars, people who held those positions are sometimes referred to as the prime ministers. They may have also referred to as Premier of Ministers. Currently, the title is the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation. After the election of Boris Yeltsin, President of Russia, the head of the government was personally Yeltsin and he headed the Russian SFSR Council of Ministers about six months. In fact, Yeltsin was the first Head of Government of Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, after Yeltsin, Acting Prime Minister became Yegor Gaidar, but the Russian Supreme Soviet refused to approve him as Prime Minister. 14 December 1992, the Prime Minister was appointed Viktor Chernomyrdin, in general, the Prime Minister serves more of an administrative role, nominating members of the Cabinet and implementing domestic policy
5.
Dmitry Medvedev
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Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is a Russian politician who is the current Prime Minister. From 2008 to 2012, Medvedev served as the third President of Russia, born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Leningrad State University Law Department in 1987. Medvedev defended his dissertation in 1990, and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed the Saint Petersburg State University, Medvedevs political career began as the Election Campaign Manager, and later as an adviser of the St. Petersburg Mayor, Anatoly Sobchak. During this time, Medvedev befriended Vladimir Putin, in November 1999, Medvedev was hired by the Russian Presidential Administration, where he worked as the Deputy Chief of Staff. In the 2000 Russian Presidential Elections, Medvedev was Putins Campaign Manager, on 14 November 2005, Medvedev was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister, and was tasked with overseeing National Priority Projects. Medvedev worked as the Chairman of Gazproms Board of Directors, a post that he held until 2008, Medvedevs candidacy was backed by the popular outgoing President, Vladimir Putin, thus giving a significant boost to his popularity. The 2008 Presidential election, held on 2 March 2008, was won by Medvedev with 70. 28% of the popular vote, and he was inaugurated on 7 May 2008. Medvedev did not run for a term as President, and therefore was appointed Prime Minister by President Vladimir Putin. On 26 May 2012, Medvedev was appointed to be the Leader of United Russia Party, during Medvedevs tenure, Russia emerged victorious in the Russo-Georgian War, and recovered from the Great Recession. Medvedev launched a campaign, and initiated a substantial law enforcement reform. Dmitry Medvedev was born on 14 September 1965 in Leningrad, in the Soviet Union and his father, Anatoly Afanasyevich Medvedev, was a chemical engineer teaching at the Leningrad State Institute of Technology. Dmitrys mother, Yulia Veniaminovna Medvedeva, studied languages at Voronezh University, later, she would also work as a tour guide at Pavlovsk Palace. The Medvedevs lived in a 40 m² apartment at 6 Bela Kun Street in the Kupchino Municipal Okrug of Leningrad, Dmitry was his parents only child. The Medvedevs were regarded as Soviet intelligentsia family of the time and his maternal grandparents were Ukrainians, whose surname was Kovalev, originally Koval. Medvedev traces his roots to the Belgorod region. As a child, Medvedev was bookish and studious, described by his first grade teacher Vera Smirnova as a dreadful why-asker, after school, he would spend some time playing with his friends before hurrying home to work on his assignments. In the third grade, Medvedev studied the ten-volume Small Soviet Encyclopedia belonging to his father, in the second and third grades, he showed interest in dinosaurs and memorized primary Earths geologic development periods, from the Archean up to the Cenozoic. In the fourth and fifth grades, he demonstrated interest in chemistry, conducting elementary experiments, in grade seven, adolescent curiosity blossomed through Svetlana Linnik, his future wife, studying at the same school in a parallel class
6.
Federation Council (Russia)
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The Federation Council is the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, according to the 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation. The two houses of the Federal Assembly are physically separated, with the State Duma residing in another part of Moscow, sessions of the Federation Council are held in Moscow from January 25 to July 15, and from September 16 to December 31. Sessions are open to the public, although the location of sessions can be changed if the Federation Council so desires, for purposes of succession, the chairman of the Federation Council is the third highest position, after the president and the prime minister. In the case of incapacity of the President and Prime Minister, in the midst of the increasingly tense crisis, on September 21, Yeltsin issued Presidential Decree №1400. The constitution also called for the creation of a bicamerial Federal Assembly, consisting of a State Duma, similar to the United States Senate, the Federation Council would consist of two representatives from each of Russia’s federal subjects. Unlike the State Duma, which consisted of hundreds of districts across the nation, early debate on its creation centered on whether or not the Federation Council should be elected at all. To solve some problems on the Council’s first scheduled election in December and this helped previous territorial elites remain within national politics. The decree also stipulated a single term of two years before new elections in 1995, the Council’s first elections were held on December 12,1993, simultaneously with State Duma elections and a referendum on the new Constitution of the Russian Federation. This later was codified in 1995 when the Council’s first term expired, the constitution, however, did not specify how senators were to be elected. By 1995, using this constitutional anomaly, regional executives could sit ex officio in both their own regional executive posts and within the Federation Council. While the State Duma did much of the debates on Russian policy during this time. The ascension of President Vladimir Putin following Yeltsins resignation on December 31,1999 brought many new changes to the Federation Council. The Council furiously resisted Putins plan, conscious that their role in politics, their very ability to enjoy the fruits of living within Moscow. In their place, a wave of new Kremlin-friendly senators took the vacated seats, the last of these dual senator-governors were rotated out of office in early 2002. These appointments could later be confirmed or rejected by the regional legislatures, the move further placed more control over the Council by the executive branch, due to laws which stipulate that regional executives have a say in choosing delegates to the Federation council. Since 2000, the Federation Council has largely remained a stable body, as set in Article 101 of the Russian Constitution, the Federation Council “shall elect among its deputies the chairman of the Council. The current chairman is Valentina Matviyenko, senators are able to retain membership to their respective parties, however they are asked not to bring party factionalism to the floor itself. Since the reforms of 2000, the Council has enjoyed a close relationship with the Kremlin
7.
Valentina Matviyenko
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Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko, is a Russian politician who was Governor of Saint Petersburg from 2003 to 2011, and has served as Chairman of the Federation Council since 2011. Matviyenko was considered, until recent years, to be the highest-ranking female politician in Russia, born in Ukraine, Matviyenko started her political career in the 1980s in Leningrad, and was the First Secretary of the Krasnogvardeysky District Communist Party of the City from 1984 to 1986. In the 1990s, Matviyenko served as the Russian Ambassador to Malta, from 1998 to 2003, Matviyenko was Deputy Prime Minister for Welfare, and briefly the Presidential Envoy to the Northwestern Federal District in 2003. By that time, Matviyenko was firmly allied with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Matviyenko became the first female leader of Saint Petersburg. The profile of Saint Petersburg in Russian politics has risen, marked by the transfer of the Constitutional Court of Russia from Moscow in 2008, some actions and practices of Governor Matviyenko have drawn significant criticisms from the Saint Petersburg public, the media, and opposition groups. Another major point of criticism was Matviyenkos handling of the snow removal problems during the unusually cold and snowy winters of 2009–10. On 22 August 2011, soon after completion of the Saint Petersburg Dam, as a member of the ruling United Russia Party, on 21 September 2011, Matviyenko was elected as Chairman of the Federation Council, the countrys third-highest elected office. Valentina Tyutina was born in Shepetivka in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast of Western Ukrainian SSR, in 1972, Matviyenko graduated from Leningrad Institute of Chemistry and Pharmaceutics, where she met her husband, Vladimir Vasiyevich Matviyenko. They had a son, Sergey, in 1973, Matviyenko held various leadership positions within the Komsomol organization until 1984. In 1985 Valentina Matviyenko graduated from the Communist Party of the Soviet Unions Academy, in 1984–1986 she was the First Secretary of the Krasnogvardeysky District Committee of the Party. Matviyenko was elected as a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and headed the committee on women, family. Between 1991 and 1998 Matviyenko served in the service and held several diplomatic positions including posts of Russian ambassador to Malta. On 24 September 1998, Matviyenko was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Russia for Welfare, in June 1999 she worked on the Board of Directors of the ORT TV channel. Matvyenko was involved in a car accident on 20 November 1999. On 3 February 2000 she was nominated for the presidency, on 29 February 2000, she announced that she was considering running in the St. Petersburg governor elections to be held on 14 May, and on 10 March announced that she was indeed launching her campaign. However, on 4 April she claimed that Vladimir Putin had asked her to withdraw from the elections, on 11 March 2003 she left the Deputy PM position and was appointed presidential envoy to the Northwestern Federal District by Vladimir Putin. On 24 June 2003, after Saint Petersburg governor Vladimir Yakovlev resigned ahead of schedule and her nomination was supported by the United Russia political party and President Vladimir Putin. Putin publicly supported her candidacy on 2 September in a meeting that was broadcast by two state-owned TV stations
8.
Judiciary of Russia
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The Judiciary of Russia interprets and applies the law of Russia. It is defined under the Constitution and law with a structure with the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court. The district courts are the criminal trial courts, and the regional courts are the primary appellate courts. And although there are officers of the court, including jurors. The judiciary faces many problems and a lack of confidence but has also made much progress in recent times. Russia has a court system, with constitutional, ordinary. The Constitutional Court of Russia is considered a separate, independent court, the district courts are the primary criminal trial courts, and the regional courts are the primary appellate courts.5 million civil cases. It is composed of 19 judges, and may sit in plenary sessions but is divided into 2 chambers. The Constitutional Court consists of two chambers with 10 and 9 judges respectively, the Chairman presides over one of the chambers, the Deputy Chairman presides over the other chamber. The Constitutional Court may also submit to the plenary session any other issue at its discretion and it also hears complains by citizens of allegations of constitutional rights violations. The Supreme Court of Russia is the highest court, and supervises inferior courts of general jurisdiction, there are 115 members of the Supreme Court. The Presidium of the Russian Supreme Court represents Russias final court of appeal, the Presidium consists of thirteen judges, the Chairman of the Supreme Court, its first deputy chairman, its six deputy chairmen and five other Supreme Court judges. Only the Prosecutor General has the right to appeal to the Presidium, only 0. 4% of criminal cases in 1998 ended with an acquittal in the Presidium. There are several attached to the Supreme Court. The members of the Academic Consultative Council are elected at plenary sessions of the Supreme Court, the Judicial Department is responsible for administration of the courts. Regional courts are the courts at the level, though are not all named as such. The courts sit as both courts of first instance and appellate courts, as courts of first instance, they hear more complex civil cases and serious criminal cases. A judge and a jury, or alternatively 3 judges, hear these cases, as appellate courts, they hear decisions of district courts that have not yet entered into force, and consist of 3 judges
9.
Prosecutor General of Russia
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The Prosecutor General of Russia heads the system of official prosecution in courts known and heads the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation. The Prosecutor General remains the most powerful component of the Russian judicial system, the Prosecutor General is nominated to the office by the President of Russia and appointed by the majority of Federation Council of Russia. If the nomination falls the President must nominate another candidate within the 30 days, the term of authority of the Prosecutor General is five years. The resignation of the Prosecutor General before the end of his term should be approved by both the majority of Federation Council of Russia and the President, the Prosecutor General and his office are independent from the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government. Offices similar to Prosecutor General of Russia have existed in the Soviet Union and in the Russian Empire since January 12,1722
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4.87
5.85
Opinion polling for elections in Russia
