Jonah Patel
The Constitution of the Russian Federation was adopted by national referendum on 12 December 1993 and came into force on 25 December 1993. The latest significant reform occurred in 2020, marked by extensive amendments that altered various sections, including presidential terms, social policies, and the role of Russian law over international ones. The Russian Constitution of 1906 provided for a bicameral Russian parliament, without whose approval no laws were to be enacted in Russia. Amendments to the Constitution require a two-thirds supermajority vote in the State Duma (the lower house), a three-fourths supermajority vote in the Federation Council (the upper house), and ratification by two-thirds of the 85 regional legislatures of the federal subjects.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of ratification | 12 December 1993 |
| Date of enactment | 25 December 1993 |
| Date of latest significant reform | 2020 |
| Date of previous amendments | 2008, 2014 |
| Approval required | Two-thirds supermajority vote in the State Duma (lower house), three-fourths supermajority vote in the Federation Council (upper house), ratification by two-thirds of the 85 regional legislatures of the federal subjects |
| Number of regional ratifications required | 57 |
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What You'll Learn
- The 1993 Constitution was adopted by national referendum and came into force on 25 December 1993
- Amendments to the Constitution require a two-thirds supermajority vote in the State Duma
- The 1993 Constitution abolished the Soviet system of government
- The 2020 amendments to the Constitution were marked by extensive changes to presidential terms, social policies, and the role of Russian law
- The 1906 Constitution provided for a bicameral Russian parliament
The 1993 Constitution was adopted by national referendum and came into force on 25 December 1993
The Constitution of the Russian Federation was adopted by national referendum on 12 December 1993 and came into force on 25 December 1993. This was the date of its official publication, and it abolished the Soviet system of government. The 1993 Constitution is one of the longest-standing constitutions in Russian history, second only to the Soviet Union's 1936 Constitution, which was in effect until 1977. The text was drafted by the 1993 Constitutional Conference, which was attended by over 800 participants.
The Constitution of the Russian Federation provides for a bicameral Russian parliament, without whose approval no laws are to be enacted in Russia. This legislature is composed of an upper house, known as the State Council, and a lower house, known as the State Duma. Half of the members of the upper house are appointed by the Tsar, while the other half are elected by various governmental, clerical and commercial interests. Members of the lower house are chosen by different classes of the Russian people, through a complex scheme of indirect elections, with the system being weighted to ensure the ultimate preponderance of the propertied classes.
Amendments to the Constitution require a two-thirds supermajority vote in the State Duma (the lower house), a three-fourths supermajority vote in the Federation Council (the upper house), and ratification by two-thirds of the 85 regional legislatures of the federal subjects (57 regional ratifications are required for an amendment to come into effect). In 2008, four articles were changed to extend the presidential and State Duma terms and require an annual report by the prime minister for the Duma members. In 2014, eight more amendments were ratified and one repealed, resulting in the abolition of the High Court of Arbitration and the adjustment of prosecutor assignments. In mid-2014, two more articles were changed to allow the president to choose up to 10% (17 members) of the Federation Council.
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Amendments to the Constitution require a two-thirds supermajority vote in the State Duma
The Constitution of the Russian Federation was adopted by national referendum on 12 December 1993 and enacted on 25 December 1993. The latest significant reform occurred in 2020, marked by extensive amendments that altered various sections, including presidential terms, social policies, and the role of Russian law over international ones.
An update to the Constitution is carried out in the form of a special act: a law of the Russian Federation on amendments to the Constitution, which is adopted by the parliament similarly to the federal constitutional law, but then also requires ratification by the legislative bodies of the constituent entities of the Federation.
The Constitution's Ratification: A Historical Perspective
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The 1993 Constitution abolished the Soviet system of government
The Constitution of the Russian Federation was adopted by national referendum on 12 December 1993 and came into force on 25 December 1993. The 1993 Constitution abolished the Soviet system of government and is one of the longest-standing constitutions in Russian history, second only to the Soviet Union’s 1936 Constitution, which was in effect until 1977. The text was drafted by the 1993 Constitutional Conference, which was attended by over 800 participants.
The 1993 Constitution replaced the previous Soviet-era Constitution of 12 April 1978, which had already been amended in April 1992 to reflect the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the sovereignty of the Russian Federation. The 1993 Constitution was the result of a constitutional crisis in Russia, which saw the country on the brink of civil war. The ten-day conflict was the deadliest single event of street fighting in Moscow's history since the October Revolution, with 147 people killed and 437 wounded. In the wake of the events, Yeltsin consolidated his position, further expanded the powers of the executive, and pushed through the adoption of the 1993 Constitution.
The 1993 Constitution created a system of crown-presidentialism, which affords vast power to the office of the president to dominate executive, legislative, and judicial power. The Constitution provides for a bicameral Russian parliament, with an upper house (the State Council) and a lower house (the State Duma). No laws can be enacted in Russia without the approval of parliament. Amendments to the Constitution require a two-thirds supermajority vote in the State Duma, a three-fourths supermajority vote in the Federation Council, and ratification by two-thirds of the 85 regional legislatures of the federal subjects.
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The 2020 amendments to the Constitution were marked by extensive changes to presidential terms, social policies, and the role of Russian law
The 2020 amendments to the Russian Constitution were marked by extensive changes to presidential terms, social policies, and the role of Russian law. The changes were introduced by an executive order signed by President Putin on 3 July 2020 and took effect on 4 July. The amendments were adopted by a referendum and officially published in the government's Rossiiskaya Gazeta.
The 2020 amendments made significant changes to the political and legal system of the Russian Federation. One of the most notable changes was the ban on a person taking the post of president for more than two consecutive terms, established in Article 81 (3) of the Constitution. This amendment was intended to provide a restriction on a person being elected for a third term, even after an intermission for a term of another person's presidency.
In addition to changes to presidential terms, the 2020 amendments also altered the competences of both chambers of the Russian Parliament and the Constitutional Court. The State Council of the Russian Federation, which had been operating on the basis of a presidential decree from 2000, became a constitutional body. The amendments also introduced changes to the Federal Structure, with the introduction of two new articles in Chapter 3 of the Fundamental Law: Article 67.1 and Article 68.
The process of amending the Russian Constitution is outlined in Articles 136 and 108, which require the same approval as a federal constitutional law. This includes a two-thirds supermajority vote in the State Duma (the lower house), a three-fourths supermajority vote in the Federation Council (the upper house), and ratification by two-thirds of the 85 regional legislatures of the federal subjects (57 regional ratifications are required for an amendment to come into effect). The 2020 amendments were approved by the State Duma on 11 March, with no objections from the pro-government parties that dominated the lower house.
The Constitution's Ratification: A Historical Overview
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The 1906 Constitution provided for a bicameral Russian parliament
The 1906 Russian Constitution was a major revision of the 1832 Fundamental Laws of the Russian Empire, which transformed the country from an absolute monarchy into a constitutional one. It was enacted on 6 May [O.S. 23 April] 1906, on the eve of the opening of the first State Duma. This first-ever Russian Constitution was granted during the Russian Revolution of 1905, in an attempt by the imperial government to preserve its own existence and keep the empire from disintegration.
The 1906 Constitution was a significant step towards constitutionalism in Russia, but the exact extent of its constitutionality quickly became the subject of debate, based on the emperor's subsequent actions. The State Chancellory prepared a draft, which was discussed during five sessions of the Council of Ministers, where alterations were made to further strengthen the emperor's prerogatives at the expense of the new parliament. Following this, the draft was further discussed and amended under the Tsar's chairmanship.
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Frequently asked questions
The Russian Constitution was ratified in 1993.
The Constitution was adopted by national referendum and came into force on 25 December 1993, at the moment of its official publication.
Amendments to the Constitution require a two-thirds supermajority vote in the State Duma (the lower house), a three-fourths supermajority vote in the Federation Council (the upper house), and ratification by two-thirds of the 85 regional legislatures of the federal subjects.
Since the ratification of the Constitution in 1993, several amendments have been proposed and ratified. The latest significant reform occurred in 2020, marked by extensive amendments that altered various sections, including presidential terms, social policies, and the role of Russian law over international ones.
