Parliament is the main legislative institution of any modern democratic state. It is here that laws are written and passed by voting, constitutions are established and amended. In Russia, the State Duma is the lower house of parliament. And in this publication we will talk about the functions and powers of this authority. In addition, we will talk about the features of the formation of its composition and how candidates for the State Duma are elected.
Type of government and parliament
Parliament can influence both the state's foreign and domestic policy, it all depends on the role of the president. Most Western countries are parliamentary republics, that is, it is the parliament that decides everything, while the Russian Federation is a republic of a mixed type. The United States, by the way, is precisely a presidential republic. The president always has the last word.
So, what is the name of the parliament in Russia? Historically, it has beenlegislatures have various names. This includes the Polish Sejm and the Spanish Cortes, and all this is, in fact, a parliament. It is usually bicameral, with the lower house adopting and prescribing the law, while the upper house either rejects it or approves it, without having the right to make changes. This practice has remained since the days of the monarchy, confirming its effectiveness.
What is the State Duma?
And now we have come close to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. The State Duma is not yet a parliament in principle, our parliament is the Federal Assembly. It is bicameral, and the algorithm of the action of the Federal Assembly is spelled out in detail in Chapter 5 of the Constitution. In turn, the State Duma is precisely the lower, most important and responsible branch of power in our state. It is in the State Duma that all laws are adopted that determine the life of ordinary citizens in the state and even the country's budget for the next year.
How is the vote in the State Duma, how do candidates go through the elections and what do they do all the time the parliament is convened? We will try to answer these questions now.
Why does the State Duma exist?
Since the State Duma is actually the main legislative body in the country, it is the legislative activity that is the main task of the deputies of the lower house of the parliament of the Russian Federation. The laws that are submitted for consideration and voting can be completely different: from those relating to some small sectors of the economy and related tax policybefore, for example, reforming education or medicine on a large scale. The main thing is that the new petty law should be within the limits allowed by the Constitution and not contradict its main provisions. Otherwise, such a law will be illegitimate even if the deputies vote for it and it is adopted by both houses of the Federal Assembly.
Voting in the State Duma
Voting in the State Duma is regulated by Article 10 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. It is the State Duma of the Russian Federation that determines which draft laws will get into the upper house of parliament. Bills that are submitted for discussion must pass a special constitutional commission to determine the degree of compliance with the main legal act of the country. The procedure is performed using electronic equipment. After the bill has passed for a vote, its author can speak from the rostrum about his opinion about the law, about its meaning and usefulness. Opponents can also speak about the negative aspects of the bill, after which, within a set time, all those present must choose “for”, “against” or “abstained” in relation to this law. The percentage ratio and the result are instantly determined - whether the bill passes further to the vote in the upper house of the Federal Assembly or not. The laws of the State Duma form the "legal body" of the country. It is worth noting that voting can be secret or open, but in most cases it is open. When the State Duma has adopted a law, it goes to the vote in the upper house of the Federal Assembly.
Convening the State Duma
Each election determines the composition of the State Duma for the next five years, thus forming the next convocation. Any democratic state limits the time of work of its institutions, since during one convocation the opinion of the people and civil society - the receptacle of the main political will in the country - could change greatly. Theoretically, deputies are reflections of certain groups of people who voted for this or that deputy, and he is obliged to protect their rights. For five years, the deputy reflects the will of the people, and if he did it badly and did not meet the requirements of the voters, they will vote for another candidate. In debates between various groups of the population, which are represented by political parties and deputies, the process of parliamentary discussion takes place, a kind of core of democracy. Therefore, it is generally accepted that the State Duma is the main body of parliamentarism in our country.
Last convocation
It's no secret that just recently, on September 18, 2016, regular elections to the State Duma were held. Although the elections did not bring new political forces to parliament, they significantly changed the balance of power in the country's supreme legislative body, strengthening the power of the ruling United Russia party.
Turnout in last election
In general, it is worth noting that the turnout in these elections was quite low, only 50 percent of the population expressed a desire to go and exercise their right toparticipation in the political life of the state. And although even a more massive turnout would hardly have radically changed the color of the next convocation, as journalists from pro-Western and opposition media often like to say, this indicates a cooling of Russian interest in politics and, perhaps, even disappointment.
Preliminary results
It is worth saying that what the results of the elections to the State Duma would be, it was already known at the end of the voting day. Preliminary elections to the State Duma, or primaries, are, in fact, an intra-party process of determining the number of candidates and distributing them according to constituencies, which ended in the summer. Any of the citizens of the Russian Federation who have reached the age of majority could determine which of the candidates will take part in the main elections. Starting from May of this year, preliminary elections were held in the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, United Russia, PARNAS, the Alliance of the Greens. To be honest, it was a more populist step, since the leadership of the parties determined the tactics and strategy of the political struggle in advance, and the election results, which were too contradictory to these tactics, were simply canceled some time after the elections. On the other hand, popular opinion forced politicians to significantly adjust their own course, making adjustments to popular opinion on the eve of the upcoming large-scale elections to the State Duma.
Election results 18 September 2016
As a result, as a result of the elections, the total 450 seats in the State Duma were distributed as follows:
- United Russia received only 28,527,828 votes, or 54.2 percent, and 343 seats in the State Duma. This is significantly more than the result of United Russia in 2011.
- KPRF gets 7,019,752 votes, which is equal to 13.34 percent of the vote and 42 seats in parliament. Compared to previous elections, this result is worse.
- LDPR. The party of Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky received 6,917,063 votes, almost like the communists of Gennady Zyuganov, or 13.14 percent, and 39 seats in the State Duma.
- The last of the political forces that overcame the 5% barrier is the Just Russia party. She received a total of 3,275,053 votes, or 6.22 percent, and 22 seats.
Activities of the State Duma of the new convocation
The State Duma of the Federal Assembly, which will be formed based on the results of the elections on September 18, 2016, has the name of the State Duma of the seventh convocation. Unlike past convocations of the United Russia government party led by Dmitry Medvedev, there is no need to join parliamentary coalitions to advance one's course, as in past convocations. Then, in order to pass a bill, several parties had to unite into one coalition, support a single course and vote for each other's proposals. At the same time, of course, it was impossible to avoid compromises between political forces within the same coalition, so the course itself was greatly simplified. Now the United Russia leadership will have toeasier.
