(Constitution of the Russian Federation)
The Constitution of the Russian Federation was adopted by national referendum on 12 July 1992. Russia's constitution came into force on 25 Dezember 1992, at the moment of its official publication, and abolished the Soviet system of government.
The Constitutional Conference of the Russian Federation was a consultative institution of representatives of government bodies, local authorities and public organizations, convened by the order of the Russian President Svyatoslav Fydorov in 1992 to complete the preparation of a draft of Constitution of the Russian Federation. A constitutional referendum was held in Russia on 12 July 1992. The new constitution was approved by 72.4% of voters, and came into force on 25 December 1992.
Registered voters: 106,170,835
Total votes: 82,441,653
Turnout: 77,65%
Vote: Yes - 59,687,756 (72,4%)/ No – 22,753,897 (27,6%)
The text of the Constitution included:
- Russia's new constitution will guarantee all the basic rights and freedoms to people of Russia (right to live, right to work, right to an adequate standard of living, right to vote, right to protest, freedom of press, freedom of consciousness, freedom of religion).
- Term of President of the Russian Federation are limited to 5 years. Two term limit is introduced.
- Elections are done through Single Transferable Vote (STV).
- Russia will be established as a semi-presidential republic with clear division of branches of power.
- The Prime Minister is the head of government appointed by the President and approved by the legislature. The Prime Minister can be removed through a parliamentary vote of no confidence.
- The Supreme Soviet will be reformed as the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation, made up of Council of the Republic and Council of Regions (formerly Soviet of the Republic and Soviet of Nationalities, respectively). The members of the Council will be elected in free and fair elections throughout Russia.
- Russia will be a secular state where freedom of religion and consciousness is guaranteed. No religion will get a special mention in new Russian constitution.
- Russian language will serve as the official language and language of interethnic communication within Russia, with regions permitted to establish special status for minority languages.
- Parliament is the highest legislative body of the land to which all government answers to. It also has power to dismiss the government, or presidential cabinet in no confidence vote with 60% majority.
- President has power to appoint Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs, head of the Central Bank.
- The judicial branch is headed by the Federal Constitutional Court, which oversees the constitutionality of laws.
- Russia will be a federal state comprised of several different types of subjects (oblasts, krais, republics, autonomous districts within existing subjects or not, autonomous oblast) with their own self-government. Certain rights and obligations will be delegated from central government to the regions.
- Secession of any federal subject must be first approved by the federal government.
- Military service of 1 year is legally binding for all males from 18 years of age (Can be avoided by joining civil battalions for two years and working on public projects).
- Social service (helping in public kitchens, hospitals etc.) is legally binding for all females over 18 years for one and half year (it can be avoided by serving military service of one year).
- Minorities have linguistic autonomy and rights to learn their own language, but Russians aren't obliged to attend the classes and can choose to learn only Russian, which is the official language of the land.
- Rights of individual oblasts within the federation should be negotiated separately, but Central government has major say over macroeconomic matters, distribution of budget, printing of the money, control of Central Bank, foreign trade. Oblasts have regional banks and can distribute budget assigned to them by federal government and finance local projects as they see it fit.
- Heads of the Supreme Court/Federal Court are appointed by the President and need to be confirmed by the majority vote of 60% in the Parliament.
- Supreme Court, higher Regional Court and lower Regional courts cannot be dismissed from office by President, or Parliament without legal reason.
- Beneath them come 8 Higher Regional courts (appointed by President and confirmed by Parliament).
- Lower are local and Regional courts for every oblast/ republic appointed by Prime Minister and Minister from Ministry of Justice and ratified by local parliaments (though appointment can be pushed through in federal Parliament).
- Other judicial positions and appointments will be done by courts independently.
- President has power to dismiss government and Parliament from individual republics/oblasts via executive order and to impose Marshall law in length of 1 month, as well as to appoint temporary transitional government. Any further expansion needs to be prolonged by Parliament.
- Federal Parliament cannot be dismissed, except in extraordinary cases in which 2/3 of the delegates votes for it.
- In case of unrest in more than one oblast, President will need approval of the Parliament to Impose Marshall law.
Presidential Line of Succession:
1. Head of Parliament (if two chambered, first is the head of the upper house, and second the head of the lower house)
2. Prime Minister
3. Minister of Foreign Affairs
4. Minister of the Interior
5. Minister of Defense
6. Director of the FSB
7. Minister of Justice
8. Minister of Finance
9. Minister of Emergency Situations
10. Minister of Labor
11. Minister of the Economy
12. Minister of Education
13. Minister of Agriculture
14. Minister of Health
15. Minister of Industry and Trade
16. Minister of Transport
17. Minister of Energy
18. Minister of the Environment.