What do you think are the functions of the president?

 

The Russian Federation is a democratic legally based federal state with a republican form of government.

The three branches of power in the Russian Federation – executive, legislative and judicial – are represented by the President and the Government; Federal Assembly (the Council of the Federation and the State Duma) and Courts of the Russian Federation respectively.

Generally speaking, the President enforces the laws that Parliament passes, and the Supreme Court interprets these laws if any question arises.

The President of the Russian Federation is given executive power. According to the Constitution, President is the head of state. He is the guarantor of the Constitution and of human and civil rights and freedoms. He is elected for a term of six years in a universal vote by a secret ballot, and has the right to be elected for a maximum of two terms. As chief executive, he has the responsibility of enforcing federal laws. He appoints and removes high federal officials. He makes final decisions on foreign policy, declares and annuls any government decisions, which contradict them. He is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

The Government of the Russian Federation consists of the Chairman of the Government, Deputy Chairmen of the Government and federal ministers. The government of Russia represents, serves and protects the Russian people at home and abroad.

The Chairman of the Government (the Prime Minister) is appointed by the President with consent of the State Duma. He tenders his resignation after Presidential elections but is not obliged to do this after Parliamentary elections. The Chairman proposes to the President candidates for the office of Deputy Chairmen of the Government and federal ministers. The Chairman determines the guidelines of the work of the Government of the Russian Federation and organizes its work.

Federal Assembly – the Parliament of the Russian Federation is vested with representative and legislative power and is composed of two Houses – the Council of the Federation and the State Duma. The division of responsibilities between chambers is traditional for the parliaments of other countries. The essential feature of modern Russia is that the upper chamber (Council of Federation) includes the representatives of the executive power of the regions.

The Council of the Federation (or the Federation Council) is the upper Chamber of the Russian Parliament with a total of 175 seats, comprises two representatives from each state of the Russian Federation. It is elected for a term of two years and cannot be dissolved by the President. It endorses the legislative acts adopted by the Duma, takes decisions on impeachment of the President, appoints the justices of the three Supreme Courts, appoints and discharges the Procurator-General.

The State Duma is the lower chamber of the Russian Parliament. It consists of 450 deputies and is elected every four years. It initiates impeachment proceeding against the President, endorses the appointment of the Prime-Minister, drafts and endorses laws.

The Judicial System consists of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of Arbitration. This third branch of government is independent from the other two branches – legislative and executive, and is no longer subordinate to them. Justices, the members of these Courts, are nominated for their posts by the Federation Council. Judges are irremovable.

The Constitutional Court stays apart from the general court system. It decides cases exclusively on the basis of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The Court limits its considerations to matters of law. The Court does not consider political cases. The Constitutional Court has evolved to be the true protective body of citizens’ rights within the Russian Federation court system. According to the Constitution, the Constitutional Court consists of 19 justices nominated by the President and approved by the Federation Council. The term of the Constitutional Court Justices is 12 years. According to the Law, the independence of Constitutional Court Justices is ensured by their irremovability, statutory immunity, equal voting rights. The Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Justice-Secretary are elected individually by secret ballot for a three-year term in a plenary session of the Constitutional Court.

The President of the Russian Federation is Dmitriy A. Medvedev.

Comprehension check