Politics of Russia

Russia operates as a federal semi-presidential republic. This system divides authority between different branches of government. The President serves as the head of state. Executive power is managed by the government. This government is led by the Prime Minister. The President appoints the Prime Minister. However, the parliament must approve this appointment. The legislative power rests with the Federal Assembly. This assembly consists of two separate houses. Additionally, the President and the government can issue legally binding by-laws.

Building this modern political structure was a difficult process. For nearly seventy years, Russia was part of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union collapsed at the end of 1991. This transition created many political challenges. Leaders in the executive and legislative branches often disagreed. They held opposing views on the nation's direction. These disagreements led to a major crisis in 1993. In September and October of that year, President Boris Yeltsin used military force. He dissolved the parliament to call for new elections.

This crisis ended Russia's first constitutional period. That period used a constitution from 1978. To create stability, a new constitution was proposed. In December 1993, citizens approved it through a referendum. This new document created a much stronger presidency. It also established a new parliament representing many different factions. Following this, the political structure began to show signs of stability. During the mid-1990s, the central government's power actually began to decline. Many regions gained economic and political concessions from Moscow.

Political power shifted again with the election of Vladimir Putin. He won the presidency in the year 2000. His administration implemented reforms to strengthen federal control. These reforms rolled back the power that regions had gained. This included changes within the 22 Republics. Putin became the primary figure in the Russian political system. He focused on economic reform and strong foreign involvement. He has become the longest-serving Russian leader since Stalin. His specific set of policies is often called Putinism.

To understand this system, one must look at the Soviet inheritance. In 1924, the first Soviet constitution created a treaty of union. This treaty joined various Soviet republics together. The Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, or RSFSR, was the largest subunit. It had the most territory and the largest population. While the republics had formal sovereignty, they delegated most power to the Soviet center. They even had a constitutional right to secede. However, because Russians dominated the union, the RSFSR lacked some typical institutions. It did not have its own republic-level communist party or academy of sciences.

Changes began in the late 1980s under Mikhail Gorbachev. He was the General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1985 to 1991. Gorbachev introduced policies known as perestroika and glasnost. Glasnost literally means "public voicing." This policy allowed for open discussion about democratic reforms. It also allowed people to discuss long-ignored problems like pollution. These changes encouraged different nationalities to assert their rights. In 1990, the RSFSR declared its laws were more important than Soviet laws. This signaled a major move toward independence.

In March 1990, a new legislature was elected in the RSFSR. This group was called the Congress of People's Deputies. It was a largely free and competitive vote. In May, the congress elected Boris Yeltsin to lead its permanent working body. This body was known as the Supreme Soviet. One month later, the Congress declared sovereignty over Russia's natural resources. In 1991, Russia created its own presidency. This followed the example set by Gorbachev. Yeltsin then won the first Russian presidential election in June 1991. He won with more than 57 percent of the vote.

This era of change led to the final collapse of the Soviet Union. In August 1991, a coup was attempted by hard-line officials. They wanted to stop Gorbachev's plans for a New Union Treaty. Yeltsin opposed the coup and rallied the public. His faction led elements of the military and police to refuse the coup orders. The coup failed after only three days. Following this, most union republics declared their independence. In December 1991, the Commonwealth of Independent States, or CIS, was formed. This organization officially announced that the Soviet Union had ceased to exist. Russia then became the principal successor to the Soviet Union. It took the permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.