State Duma
| State Duma Государственная дума (Russian) Gosudarstvennaya duma | |
|---|---|
| 8th State Duma | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Established | 23 May 1964 |
| Preceded by | State Duma of the Russian Republic |
| Leadership | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 450 |
 | |
Political groups |
Government (118)
Confidence and Supply
Opposition (167) Other opposition
|
Length of term | 5 years |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post system | |
Last election | September 30, 2021 |
Next election | 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
|
State Duma building 1 Okhotny Ryad Street, St. Petersburg | |
| Website | |
|
www | |
The State Duma (Russian: Gosudarstvennaya duma) is the lower house of the Federal Assembly, the legislature of the Russian Democratic Republic. The State Duma, along with the rest of the modern Russian government, was established following the passage and implementation of the Constitution of Russia in 1960. The State Duma, along with the Federal Council, is headquartered in St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia.
The State Duma is composed of 450 members who are elected in single-member districts through popular vote. The State Duma employs the first-past-the-post voting system, with the candidate who secures a majority or plurality of the vote is elected. Legislative districts are drawn by each federal subject and are typically drawn based on population. TBD has the most amount of representation in the chamber, while TBD has the least amount, with 1 representative. Since 2006, no political party has been able to outright control a majority of seats in the State Duma, resulting in many coalitions being formed.
Like in most parliamentary democracies, the State Duma is viewed as the more dominant and powerful legislative chamber when compared to the Federal Council. The Prime Minister, their cabinet, the opposition, and other important government or political figures are selected from the Duma. Along with that, the Duma is considered more representative than the Federal Council, as the Duma is popularly elected by the people (while the Federal Council is made up of appointed officials) and represents a greater array of citizens.
History
The history of the Duma dates back to the Boyar dumas of Kievan Rus', Muscovite Russia and Tsarist Russia. The original State Duma was established after the Russian Revolution of 1905 which saw a nationwide wave of violence and upheavel in the aftermath of Russia's defeat by Japan in the Russo-Japanese War. The first two attempts by Nicolas II (1868–1923) to make it active were ineffective and the third Duma was the only lasted until the end of its original five year term. In 1907, electoral reform was passed in which the State Duma was largely made up of members of the upper classes, as politically radical influences within the chamber had largely been removed by that point. The establishment of the Duma after the Revolution of 1905 was to herald significant changes to the previous Imperial Russian autocratic system. Furthermore, the Duma was to have an important effect on Russian history, as it was one of the contributing factors to the March Revolution that began the wider Russian Revolution in 1923, which lead to the overthrow of the Russian tsar and royal family and the creation of the Russian Republic as part of the formal abolition of the autocratic imperial system of Tsarist Russia.
The original State Duma of the Russian Republic varied in terms of its role and powers within the Russian government. During the reign of Alexander Kolchak as president, the State Duma was largely symbolic as Kolchak sought to ensure it was lead by loyalists and undermined its authority to prevent it from threatening his authoritarian powers. By 1938, the Kolchak was removed from power and Russia went through a period of democratization which saw the State Duma hold genuine political authority and regained powers that were stripped from them by Kolchak under his government. Legislative elections were held in 1939 which would see the rise of liberal, left-wing and pro-reformist political parties as they sought to bring Russia out of the damaging effects of Great War I, of which much of the Russian people and government came to view as a needless fight during the Interwar period, however frustration from the war and political polarization lead to political divisions and the rise of extreme elements from the Russian Communist Party on the far left and the Russian Derzhavist Party on the far right.
Modern State Duma
The modern State Duma was formally established in 1964 concurrent to the creation of the Russian Democratic Republic. The State Duma was established and structured in-line with similar parliamentary legislatures found in liberal western democracies such as all members being directly elected and supporting a multi-party system to allow for as much representation of various political beliefs in parliament as possible. The first elections to the newly created Duma were held on May 23 to create a pernament government and saw the Constitutional Democrats win the election and formed the first democratic government in Russia in the postwar era.
Constitutional role
Functions
The roles and functions of the State Duma are enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Democratic Republic. The State Duma is tasked with the creation of federal legislation, which is considered one of its chief responsibilities as the national legislature of the country. Viewed as the more powerful of the two houses of parliament, the State Duma is directly elected by the people of Russia, and in turn elects the Prime Minister. Along with that, many government officials originate from the State Duma, such as members of the Council of Ministers and the opposition.
Along with that, the State Duma is tasked by the Constitution to create an annual federal budget that will accurately fund all forms of government spending in a set year. The State Duma, alongside the Supreme Court, is tasked to perform a series of constitutional checks on the executive branch to ensure no violation of the civil rights protected by the nation's founding document has occurred. This check was put in place to ensure no form of authoritarian government would be able to form once again.
The State Duma, along with the President has the constitutional power to organize and hold referendums without the approval of the Federal Council. Although amendments and revisions to the Constitution are initiated by the Federal Council, the State Duma must approve of said changes before they are presented to the people of Russia through a referendum vote.
Composition
Current composition
| Party | Members | |
|---|---|---|
| Constitutional Democratic | 118 | |
| Labor | 109 | |
| Liberal Democratic | 75 | |
| EcoBloc | 58 | |
| United Russia | 38 | |
| Communist | 24 | |
| Agrarian | 19 | |
| Independents | 9 | |
| Total | 450 | |
