Developing the Formation Procedures for the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, as Well as Regional and Municipal Parliaments at the Current Stage

About the author:

Abstract:

This article considers the fundamental questions of the procedure for forming the lower chamber of the Russian parliament: the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, regional and local parliaments of Russia — from the moment of the adoption of the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 1993. For the twenty-five-year period of their existence, there were legislations and restrictions on the passive electoral rights of the RF citizens. Undoubtedly, some restrictions brought stability in their work, relatively constant party composition. However, as shown in this study, it leads inevitably to wide sections of the RF population not receiving their representation on all levels of parliament. The indulgence measures, adopted after the well-known events of 2011-2012, do not suffice, in the author’s opinion. Having studied the experience of legal regulation of the formation of all types of parliaments (first of all, the State Duma in 1993-2018) the author concludes that it is necessary to return the electoral blocs. That would allow the Russian citizens, who support the ideas of small political parties, get their representation in the Russian parliament.

This work contains a detailed analysis of key changes in the issue of admission of electoral associations to participate in elections to the State Duma, regional and local parliaments, and the types of such electoral associations, which have reduced from year to year. The author proposes a number of changes to the RF legislation, which, in his opinion, will contribute to the implementation of the principles of parliamentarism in Russia and an increase of voters’ activity.

References:

1. USSR Law of 9 October 1990 no 1708-1 “Ob obshchestvennykh ob"edineniyakh” [On Public Associations]. Vedomosti SND i VS SSSR, 17 October, no 42, art. 839.
2. Kamyshev D. 2007. “Nedoperevypolnil” [Undeoverdid]. Kommersant-Vlast', no 48, p. 21.
3. RF President’s Message to the Federal Assembly of 24 February 1994 “Ob ukreplenii Rossiyskogo gosudarstva (Osnovnye napravleniya vnutrenney i vneshney politiki)” [On the Strengthening of the Russian State (Main Directions of Domestic and Foreign Policy)]. Rossiyskaya Gazeta, 25 February, no 38. 
4. RF Constitutional Court Decree of 1 February 2005 no 1-P on verification of the constitutionality of the second and third paragraphs of paragraph 2 of Article 3 and paragraph 6 of Article 47 of the Federal Law “O politicheskikh partiyakh” [On Political Parties] in connection with the complaint of the Socio-Republican Party. Vestnik Konstitutsionnogo Suda Rossiyskoy Federatsii, no 1.
5. RF Constitutional Court Decree of 15 December 2004 no 18-P on verification of the constitutionality of paragraph 3 of Article 9 of the Federal Law “O politicheskikh partiyakh” [On Political Parties] in connection with the request of the Koptevsky District Court of Moscow, complaints of the All-Russian Public Political Organization “Pravoslavnaya partiya Rossii” and citizens I. V. Artemova and D. A. Savina. Vestnik Konstitutsionnogo Suda Rossiyskoy Federatsii, no 1.
6. RF Constitutional Court Decree of 16 July 2007 no 11-P on verification of constitutionality of certain provisions of articles 3, 18 and 41 of the Federal Law “O politicheskikh partiyakh” [On Political Parties] in connection with the complaint of the political party “Rossiyskaya kommunisticheskaya rabochaya partiya — Rossiyskaya partiya kommunistov”. Vestnik Konstitutsionnogo Suda Rossiyskoy Federatsii, no 4.
7. Republic of Tuva Supreme Court Decision of 15 June 2006 no 3/29-06. SPS “Consultant Plus”.
8. RF Supreme Court Decision of 16 April 2007 no GKPI07-300. SPS “Consultant Plus”.
9. RF Supreme Court Decision of 23 March 2007 no GKPI07-293. SPS “Consultant Plus”.
10. RF Supreme Court Decision of 24 May 2007 no GKPI07-297. SPS “Consultant Plus”.
11. Primorsky Regional Court Decision of 11 January 2007, no 3-2/2007. ATP “Consultant Plus”.
12. Parlamentskaya gazeta. 2013. “Sergey Naryshkin: ‘Tema sozdaniya blokov aktivno obsuzhdayetsya’” [Sergei Naryshkin: The Topic of Creating Blocs is Actively Discussed]. Parlamentskaya gazeta, 30 January. Accessed on 26 January 2018. www.pnp.ru/social/2013/01/30/sergey-naryshkin-tema-sozdaniya-blokov-aktivno-obsuzhdaetsya.html
13. RF Federal Law of 6 December 1994 no 56-FZ “Ob osnovnykh garantiyakh izbiratel'nykh prav grazhdan Rossiyskoy Federatsii” [On Basic Guarantees of the Electoral Rights of Citizens of the Russian Federation], art. 18. Sobranie zakonodatel’stva RF, no 33, art. 3406.
14. RF Federal Law of 19 September 1997 no 124-FZ “Ob osnovnykh garantiyakh izbiratel'nykh prav i prava na uchastie v referendume grazhdan Rossiyskoy Federatsii” [On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right to Participate in the Referendum of Citizens of the Russian Federation], art. 2. Sobranie zakonodatel’stva RF, no 38, art. 4339.
15. RF Federal Law of 21 July 2005 no 93-FZ “O vnesenii izmeneniy v zakonodatel'nye akty Rossiyskoy Federatsii o vyborakh i referendumakh i inye zakonodatel'nye akty Rossiyskoy Federatsii” [On Amendments to the Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation on Elections and Referenda and Other Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation]. Sobranie zakonodatel’stva RF, no 30 (pt. 1), art. 3104.
16. RF Federal Law of 2 April 2012 no 28-FZ “O vnesenii izmeneniy v Federal'nyy zakon ‘O politicheskikh partiyakh’” [On Amendments to the Federal Law “On Political Parties”]. Sobranie zakonodatel’stva RF, no 15, art. 1721.
17. RF Federal Law of 22 February 2014 no 20-FZ “O vyborakh deputatov Gosudarstvennoy Dumy Federal'nogo Sobraniya Rossiyskoy Federatsii” [On the Election of Deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation]. Sobranie zakonodatel’stva RF, 24 February, no 8, art. 740.
18. RF Federal Law of 12 June 2002 no 67-FZ “Ob osnovnykh garantiyakh izbiratel'nykh prav i prava na uchastie v referendume grazhdan Rossiyskoy Federatsii” [On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right to Participate in the Referendum of Citizens of the Russian Federation]. Sobranie zakonodatel’stva RF, no 24, art. 2253.
19. RF Federal Law of 11 July 2001 no 95-FZ “O politicheskikh partiyakh” [On Political Parties]. Sobranie zakonodatel’stva RF, 16 July, no 29, art. 2950.
20. Shekhovtsov V. A. 2002. Razvitiye rossiyskogo parlamentarizma [Developing the Russian Parliamentary System]. Vladivostok: Dal'nauka.