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  Navigation:   Political Systems Catalogue>> Central Public Authorities>> Legislature>> Russian Federation Legislature>> 
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The Competence of the State Duma
Under the Constitution of the Russian Federation (article 104) the State Duma possesses the right of legislative initiative. The deputies of the State Duma submit:

- bills and amendments to them;

- legislative initiatives on development and acceptance of new federal constitutional laws and federal laws;

- bills on modification and additions to the laws currently in force in the Russian Federation and laws of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic or bills declaring laws stale.

All bills are submitted to the State Duma (article 104, chapter 2, the RF Constitution).

The Special Competence of the State Duma


This competence of the State Duma is established in a number of articles of the Constitution of the Russian Federation (basically in article 103) and federal laws. Regulations of the State Duma provide a special order of consideration of each such a case.

The competence of the State Duma includes the following questions:

а) Consent to assignment of the Chairperson of the Government of the Russian Federation by the RF President. The State Duma considers a nominee to the post of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation who was officially submitted by the President of the Russian Federation within one-week term from the date of submission. The candidate for the post of the Chairperson of the RF Government reports the State Duma the program of the basic directions of activity of the future Government, answers the deputies' questions. Then representatives of factions and deputy groups vote for or against the nominee.

In case of rejection of the nominee the President of the Russian Federation within one-week term submits a new nominee to the Chamber. In case of a double rejection of the submitted nominees the President of the Russian Federation within one-week term has the right to present a third nominee.

b) Expression of non-confidence. Under article 117 of the Constitutions of the Russian Federation the State Duma may express non-confidence in the Government of the Russian Federation. Only a group of deputies numbering not less than one fifth of the whole body of the deputies of the Chamber may bring up the offer to express non-confidence.

c) Designation and dismission of the Human Rights Authorized Person. Nominees for this post are submitted by the President of the Russian Federation, the Federation Council, the deputies and deputy associations of the State Duma. Human Rights Authorized Person is appointed for the term of five years (and not more than two terms successively).

d) Designation and dismission of the Chairperson of the Accounting Chamber and half of its auditors. Nominees for the post of the Chairperson of the Accounting Chamber and auditors of the Accounting Chamber are submitted by the State Duma Committee on Budget, Taxes, Banks and Finance. Designation is performed at the first session of the State Duma of the first convocation, and later on, - at the session, which is nearest to the moment of expiration of powers of the Chairperson of the Accounting Chamber and its auditors.

e) Designation and dismission of the Chairperson of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. A nominee for the post of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation is submitted by the President of the Russian Federation. Designation is performed at a session of the State Duma, which is nearest to the moment of expiration of powers of the Chairperson of RF Central Bank. The question of dismission of the Central Bank Chairperson is considered at the suggestion of the President of the Russian Federation. The dismission resolution is approved by a simple majority of deputies of the State Duma. In case the dismission was not approved, the Chairperson preserves the post.

f) Impeachment. The President of the Russian Federation may be impeached by the Federation Council only on the basis of charges put forward against him of high treason or some other grave crime, confirmed by a ruling of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on the presence of indicia of crime in the President's actions and by a ruling of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation confirming that the procedure of bringing charges has been observed.

The ruling of the House of Representatives [State Duma] on putting forward charges and the decision of the Federation Council on impeachment of the President is passed by the votes of two-thirds of the total number in each of the chambers at the initiative of at least one-third of the deputies of the House of Representatives [State Duma] and in the presence of the opinion of a special commission formed by the House of Representatives [State Duma].

The decision of the Federation Council on impeaching the President of the Russian Federation is passed within three months of the charges being brought against the President by the House of Representatives [State Duma]. The charges against the President are considered to be rejected if the decision of the Federation Council is not passed.

g) Announcement of amnesty. Amnesty differs from pardon, which concerns only concrete persons who have committed a crime (the right of pardon belongs to the President of the Russian Federation).

Announcement of amnesty is carried out by the State Duma through adoption of a resolution to announce an amnesty and the order of its execution. The draft resolution of amnesty announcement is brought in to the State Duma and considered by the Chamber in the order established for submission and consideration of bills.

h) Reference to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation. Under the Constitution of the Russian Federation (article 129) the State Duma may address with petitions to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation to establish correspondence of standard acts of the President of the Russian Federation, the Federation Council, the State Duma, the Government of the Russian Federation, the Constitutions of the Republics, regulations, and laws and other standard acts of the subjects of the Russian Federation, international agreements not consummated for the Russian Federation with the RF Constitution. The State Duma may also enquire the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation to interpret the Constitution of the Russian Federation and make other inquires concerning competence of the State Duma. An inquiry to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation may not concern the issues, which are being considered by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation.



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