The State Duma is the lower house of the Russian Parliament, called the Federal Assembly. The chamber has its own leader - the chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation. His duties, powers and rights will be described in detail in this article.
Russian State Duma: general description
Information about the Russian Parliament is enshrined in article 95 of the Russian Constitution. According to this article, the Federal Assembly includes two chambers - the State Duma and the Federation Council. The lower house has 450 members who are elected for a five-year term. Only a Russian citizen who has reached the age of 21 years and having the opportunity to participate in elections may be a deputy. All employees of the State Duma work on an ongoing basis.
Deputies of the Parliament have immunity, which is valid for the entire term of the exercise of powers. Deprivation of immunity is possible only at the request of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation.
A special role in parliament is played by the chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation. It is this official who is obliged to lead 450 deputies, as well as monitor the work of various committees and meetings.
The work of the State Duma of the Russian Federation
The first meeting of the Duma takes place on the thirtieth day after its formation. Moreover, the head of the Russian state has the opportunity to convene a meeting ahead of schedule.
There is a tradition in the lower house of Parliament, according to which the meeting is opened not by the chairman of the State Duma, but by the oldest deputy. The first meeting addresses the most common organizational issues.
What principles is the work of the State Duma based on?
- Firstly, it is the principle of legality. Deputies must work in accordance with the Russian Constitution, federal and federal constitutional laws.
- Secondly, it is the principle of multi-party system and diversity. The State Duma should include several parties and political associations.
- Thirdly, this is the principle of collective resolution of issues and their free discussion.
Structure of the State Duma: Russian Federation
Representatives of the State Duma create special factions for the joint consideration of issues and the expression of a single position on various problems. Created committees and commissions should concern the following areas:
- financial market and Russian economy;
- industry and state property issues;
- budget and tax policy;
- labor and social policies;
- state and constitutional construction;
- ensuring criminal, civil, arbitration and procedural legislation;
- entrepreneurial and innovative sphere, etc.
Meetings of commissions and committees should be held at least twice a month. The eligibility of their work is decided by the chairman of the State Duma. So, if less than half of the committee members are present, then his work will be invalidated.
About the Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation
What is known about the head of the lower parliamentary chamber? Information on this official is reinforced by a resolution of the State Duma of the Russian Federation of 1998 "On Regulations of the State Duma of the Russian Federation." According to this regulatory act, the Chairman of the State Duma is one of the highest officials in the Russian Federation. In the list of protocol seniority, he takes fourth place.
The post appeared in 1993 - since the adoption of the state Constitution. The chairman is elected by secret ballot, which is organized by the deputies themselves. The term of office is the same as that of the respective convocation - exactly 5 years.
According to Russian law, the chairman of the lower parliamentary chamber has a fairly wide range of powers and responsibilities. All organizational and cadastral work of the Duma lies precisely with the chairman. In addition, the official in question is an unofficial intermediary between the executive and legislative branches.
Powers of the Chairman of the State Duma
The Chairman of the Russian State Duma deals with the resolution of disputes between federal authorities and regional authorities. His powers also include ensuring equal access for deputies to familiarize themselves with draft laws that are being drafted or adopted. The head of the lower parliamentary chamber sends all the materials necessary for consideration to the appropriate committees and parties. Consideration and approval of bills ends with their sending to the Federation Council - the highest parliamentary chamber. This is necessary for further readings. If the Federation Council refuses to consider the bill, the chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation will personally send the necessary documentation to the President of the Russian Federation. Such an opportunity is provided by article 105 of the basic law of the country.
The chairman of the lower house of Parliament may delegate all his legal duties to deputies. Moreover, any of his instructions, decisions or orders may be canceled by the State Duma itself - following the results of a special vote of all its members.
Chairman Responsibilities
What are the mandatory functions of the chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation? It is worth paying attention to article 11 of the corresponding "Regulation", which indicates the following functions:
- holding meetings of the State Duma;
- organization of work of the Council of the lower house of Parliament;
- resolution of issues of the internal routine of the chamber;
- approval of the budget estimates of the State Duma;
- the management of parliamentary staff, the appointment of deputies and apparatus managers;
- taking part in conciliation procedures implemented by the head of state under article 85 of the country's main law;
- representation of the State Duma in relations with the Federation Council, the Government, the courts, regional bodies, the President of the Russian Federation, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the Accounts Chamber , etc.
Of course, not all the powers of the chairman of the State Duma were named above. However, the main focus of his activities should still be called lawmaking. It is the chairman who receives and submits bills for consideration, as well as organizes an optimal environment for lawmaking.
Appointment of the Chairman of the State Duma
How is the head of the lower parliamentary chamber appointed? This question can be answered by the example of the election of the Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation in 2014.
All-Russian elections are held, as a result of which 450 people are vested with the relevant powers. All deputies who came to power are united in factions, after which they nominate their candidates. A secret ballot is held, the result of which is the election of the Chairman of the State Duma. The candidate shall be considered elected for whom at least half of the votes have been cast. Otherwise, a second round is held.
State Duma Chairmen in the Russian Federation since 1994
The chairman of the first State Duma was Ivan Petrovich Rybkin. His chairmanship dates from 1994-1996. Rybkin advanced from the APR faction, the agrarian party of Russia. The chairman during the second and third convocations was a member of the Communist Party faction Gennady Nikolayevich Seleznev . The chairmanship is from 1996 to 2003.
Boris Vyacheslavovich Gryzlov, like his successors, was a member of the United Russia faction. He chaired from 2003 to 2011. - during the 4th and 5th convocations. His successor was the chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Sergey Evgenyevich Naryshkin, who took office in 2011.
Sergey Naryshkin
He has a university degree in Economics. Since 1982, he worked as an assistant to the vice-rector at LPTU, the Polytechnic University of Leningrad. A little later, Sergey Evgenievich got a job as an employee of the apparatus in the Soviet Embassy of Belgium. He served in the KGB school, where he met with Putin. In 1998, Naryshkin became the chairman of the Leningrad International Committee, and in 2004 - the deputy head of economic management in the administration of the head of state. Sergey Evgenievich was the Deputy Prime Minister from 2007 to 2011. In 2011, Naryshkin was elected to the 5th convocation of the State Duma, where he became its chairman. He exercised his powers until 2016, when Vyacheslav Viktorovich Volodin, chairman of the lower parliamentary chamber from the 7th convocation, took his place.
Vyacheslav Volodin
What is known about today's chairman of the Russian State Duma? Vyacheslav Viktorovich is a graduate of the Saratov Institute of Farm Mechanization. In the early 90s, Volodin ran for the Saratov Regional Duma. In 1995, he received another higher education in the specialty "Jurisprudence" at the Russian Academy of Public Administration under the Russian President.
In 1999, Vyacheslav Viktorovich became a member of the State Duma from the 3rd convocation. Then Volodin was a member of the "Fatherland - All Russia" faction. In 2005, he became Secretary of the Presidium of the General Council of United Russia. In 2010, he became the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma from the 5th convocation. In the same year he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister. In 2011, Volodin was appointed to the post of head of the presidential administration.
In September 2016, Vladimir Putin proposed Volodin's candidacy for the post of chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation. At the moment, many political scientists are convinced that Vyacheslav Viktorovich will be able to run for president in 2018 or 2024.