Page 207 - DPOL202_COMPARATIVE_POLITICS_AND_GOVERNMENT_ENGLISH

Comparative Politics and Government

Notes
Federation
State Duma
Council President

The legislative process begins The Federation Council considers The president decides
in the State Duma. Draft laws passed by the Duma. If it whether to sign or reject
legislation can be submitted passes a bill, it goes to the laws sent to him by
by the government, the president for his signature. parliament. If he signs a
president, or members of the If it rejects a bill, the Duma may bill, it becomes law. If he
Federal Assembly either try to override the rejection. rejects it, it is sent back to
individually or collectively. Or the two chambers form a the Duma for further
After a law is passed by the conciliation commission to iron consideration. The Duma
State Duma, it is considered out the disagreements between may vote to override a
by the Federation Council. the two chambers. The resulting presidential veto. A two-
compromise version is then thirds vote of each
voted on by both chambers. chamber is needed to
If both pass it, it is sent to the override successfully.
president for his signature. If the chambers cannot
override the veto,
normally they form a
conciliation commission
with representatives of
the president and
parliament and agree on
a compromise version.

Figure: The Legislative Process
The Federation Council is designed as an instrument of federalism in that (as in the United States
Senate) every constituent unit of the federation is represented in it by two representatives. Thus the
populations of small ethnic-national territories are greatly overrepresented compared with more
populous regions. Until a major reform pushed through by President Putin in the spring of 2000, its
members were the heads of the executive and legislative branches of each constituent territory of the
federation; it would be as if the governors and assembly speakers of each state in the U.S. made up
the members of the U.S. Senate. Now, however, each governor and each regional legislature names a
representative to the Federation Council to serve on a full-time basis. The governors appoint their
representatives, who are then confirmed by the legislatures; the regional legislatures elect their
representatives.
The Federation Council has important powers. Besides acting on bills passed by the lower house, it is
also called upon to approve presidential nominees for high courts such as the Supreme Court and the
Constitutional Court. Its approval is required for presidential decrees declaring martial law or a
state of emergency, and any actions altering the boundaries of territorial units in Russia. It must
consider any legislation dealing with taxes, budget, financial policy, treaties, customs, and declarations
of war.
The new members named in 2000 and 2001 were a diverse group. Many had extensive experience in
regional and federal politics. Many had no previous ties to the regions that sent them. About a quarter
of the new members were high-level business executives. In its new composition, the Federation
Council has consistently supported President Putin and his program, and has passed nearly every
law he has proposed even when the legislation directly countered the interests of the regions. The
members have found the credentials (and immunity from all criminal prosecution) that go with
parliamentary membership to be useful to them in lobbying for the interests of the regions that
delegated them. But both among members and the political elite generally there continues to be a
great deal of dissatisfaction over the current role of the chamber and most observers believe that the
current law on the composition of the chamber should and will be replaced by one providing that the

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