Comparative Politics Russia PI 1511

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Comparative PoliticsRussia PI 1511

• Dr.Christian W. HaerpferReader in Politics

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The Russian Parliament

• Three times dissolved by force
• 1906 First State Duma by
• Tsar Nicholas II
• 1918 Constituent Assembly after 1 day by
  Bolsheviks (French Revolution?)
• 21 September 1993 Russian Congress of Peoples
  Deputies (CPD)
• by President Boris Yeltsin

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• 1993 New Constitution
• Bicameral Federal Assembly
• Upper House
• Federation Council FC
• 178 Representatives from 89 Subjects of the
  Russian Federation
• Lower House
• State Duma
• 450 Deputies, elected for 4 years

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General Parliamentary Elections in Russia

• First Duma (2) General Elections in December
  1993
• Second Duma (4) General Elections in December
  1995
• Third Duma (4) General Elections in December
  1999
• Fourth Duma (4) General Elections in December
  2003
• Fifth Duma (4) General Elections in December 2007

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State Duma

• For the first time in Russian history
• Genuine parliament with full-time MPs
• Almost all Deputies have higher education
• Working parliament, not symbolic rubber stamp
  machinery
• Intensive discussion of paragraphs and sentences
  of new laws for many hours

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Types of parliamentary groupings

• Faction parties with more than 5 of the vote
  (81993 41995 61999)
• Group free alliance of 35 Deputies or more
• Very weak political parties
• Volatile Deputies
• Weak whips

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Parliamentary Committees

• First Duma 23 Duma Committees
• Second Duma onwards 28 Duma Committees
• 2003 Haerpfer speaker and guest in Duma
  Committee on Health and Sports
• Very important organs of legislative process

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Speaker of Parliament

• First Duma Ivan Rybkin
• Second Duma and Third Duma
• Gennadii Seleznev
• Speaker
• First Deputy Speaker
• Other Deputy Speakers

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Role of Parliament in Russian politics

• Stabilising factor of political transformation
• Forum for nationwide debate and compromise
• Deputies as core political actors of new Russia
• Normalisation of parliamentary life after
  turbulent start (6 MPs killed 1993-1998)

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Role of Parliament in Democratization

• Creation of bicameral parliamentary assembly
  major advance towards democracy in Russia
  (Sakwa)
• New Duma moving towards the political Centre
• Parliament is junior partner of government as
  senior partner
• Separation of powers in Russia
  institutionalised, but unbalanced