Somehow it so happened that in Russia for all the shortcomings or shortcomings of the authorities scold the first person. However, the system of state bodies is quite complex and multifaceted. Functions in it are distributed. Some of them are carried out by the government, some issues are de alt with by local authorities, others, the most important ones, are decided by the Federation Council. All this is enshrined in the fundamental law - the Constitution. In order not to get confused, you need to have a minimum of knowledge on this topic. Let's find out.
What is this?
We rarely hear about what decisions the Federation Council makes. This is, in principle, good enough.
You yourself will understand this when you get acquainted with the list of its functions. Many mistakenly believe that the Federation Council is the State Duma. But this is a big mistake. They are different representative bodies with separate functions. The Federation Council is the topchamber of parliament. It consists of representatives of all territorial units of Russia. It resolves issues relating to the life of the state as a whole, affecting the interests of all citizens, each subject of the Russian Federation. When people talk about sovereignty, war and peace, participation in global processes, it is necessary to look at what this body thinks about this. The State Duma deals with internal political issues. The body considers and adopts laws that are binding on all subjects. Decisions made by the Federation Council have the same force. It cannot be challenged or not implemented. Now more about his constitutionally enshrined competence.
Exclusive powers
Opening the Constitution. Article 102 of this document says what exclusive powers the Federation Council of the Russian Federation exercises. These include issues of border regulation between the subjects that make up the country. All controversial points cannot be resolved without an act of this chamber of parliament. The use of the Russian armed forces is also impossible without its verdict. This representative body has the right to give (take away) the commander-in-chief permission to conduct hostilities outside the country. This happened in 2008 and 2014, when Russia's neighbors faced critical situations. The Federation Council of the Russian Federation made a decision on the use of the RF Armed Forces abroad by order of the Commander-in-Chief.
Personnel exclusive powers
In any state there are positions that affect the issues of its survival orprosperity. Candidates must be selected carefully, comprehensively analyzing their qualities, thoughtfully. And most importantly, the process must be fixed by law, having developed protective mechanisms. The Federation Council decides when to call the election of the President of the Russian Federation. In addition, he is in charge of the personnel files of the heads of the courts: the Constitutional, the Supreme Arbitration and the Supreme. The Prosecutor General is also appointed by the Federation Council. That is, people holding the highest government positions cannot be fired or appointed without the approval of this body.
Economic issues
Article 106 of the Basic Law lists topics that the Federation Council must consider. For example, the state budget must be approved by the body. He also considers issues related to federal taxes, currency, credit, financial, customs regulation. The issue of money is in his charge. When a country enters into agreements with other states, they must be ratified (approved). This is what the Federation Council is doing. Only after it has made the appropriate decision, all other bodies have the right to use the provisions of the agreement in their activities. One of the most important issues for the state is its relations with other countries. In the Constitution, it is called "a state of war and peace." This issue is also under the jurisdiction of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation.
Self-organization
The next group of questions is the work of the body itself. Its structure is providedin the Constitution, as well as the order of functioning. The Basic Law contains only general points. It is impossible to foresee all the subtleties that are of fundamental importance in making the most important decisions. They are developed and approved by the Council itself. It draws up regulations, in which the procedures for its activities are specified in detail and specifically. For example, let's take the issue of treaty ratification. The constitution says that the Federation Council deals with it. However, it matters how this procedure goes. After all, the decision will have certain consequences. They need to be answered. In addition, for the right decision, it is necessary to take into account the opinions of various specialists and experts. Each certificate should not only become an important document, but also be brought to the attention of responsible persons. That is, the members of the Federation Council are obliged to form a comprehensive opinion on the issue they are dealing with. How exactly the process of examination, familiarization, the movement of information and documents takes place is spelled out in the regulations. Everything is provided there, down to signatures and dates.
Organ structure
It is clear that with such a level of problems being solved, the Federation Council of the Russian Federation cannot be a small organization. For its normal operation, a fairly large number of specialists are needed. They should cover the full range of multilateral public policies. Yes, and just "extras" and performers are needed. Members of the Federation Council do not perform technical work. Their responsibilities include the development and approval of decisions. Everything else is prepared by the machine. The body is headed by the chairman of the Federation Council (now Matvienko V. I.). It's interesting thatonly two people have held this position. Since 2001 - Mironov S. I. He worked for ten years. And in 2011, V. I. Matvienko was elected to the position. She represented St. Petersburg in this body. The chairman has three deputies. In addition, committees and commissions are created to work. Some of them operate on a permanent basis, others are temporary. The apparatus is engaged in technical activities.
Working order of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation
The principles of the activities of this chamber of parliament are legislatively fixed. These include openness, collectivity, publicity. Meetings of the Federation Council may be held in the presence of members of the public and the press. Members of the government and other specialists are invited to many of them. All discussions are open and free. Everyone present has the right to express his opinion, based on the law, guided by the interests of citizens and the state. There are also mandatory rules that cannot be violated. For example, at least two-thirds of its members must take part in the meeting. Otherwise, the decision will not have legislative force. The decision is taken mainly by open vote. In this case, an electronic system is used. At least half of the members present in the hall must vote in favor.
The State Duma and the Federation Council
The two chambers of parliament cannot but intersect in their activities. Their relationship is also regulated by the mainby law. The Duma and the Federation Council can carry out a number of activities for joint work. These include joint meetings. That is, both chambers gather in the same "session room" and decide on issues that need to be considered in this format. In addition, they can create joint ad hoc bodies. They include representatives from both chambers. They also conduct constant cooperation in the field of lawmaking.
