Limiting the Russian Parliament’s Role After Putin’s Coming to Power

Abstract

This article discusses the reforms of the electoral law and the law on political parties that were carried out in Russia during the first two terms of Vladimir Putin (2000–2008). These reforms were fundamental to shaping the present political system in Russia. This system is based on the state regulation of the activities of political parties and the institutionalisation of social life. The characteristic features of this system are the domination of the party of power in the party system and the marginalisation of the opposition. It leads to the limitation of the mechanisms of social control of state power. Another consequence is the loss of importance by the parliament to the executive, in particular the president. Playing the role of a political base for the Kremlin’s activities became the main factor in allowing the party to actively participate in the country’s political life. One of the consequences of this factor is the political marginalisation of the State Duma, which instead of being a place where different social interests clash, has become a voting machine for successive bills proposed by the ruling camp. All of this was ensured while maintaining the external attributes of a democratic state, such as a multiparty system and elections.