The Government and Politics of Russia

1. By: Benedict Gombocz

2. Government of Russia
 Government (правительство):
Federal semi-presidential
republic and (in theory) “multi-
party democracy”
 President (Президент
Российской Федерации):
Vladimir Putin (United Russia)
 Prime Minister (Председатель
Правительства Российской
Федерации): Dmitry Medvedev
(United Russia)
 Chairman of the Federation
Council: Valentina Matviyenko
(United Russia)
 Chairman of the State Duma:
Boris Gryzlov (United Russia)

3. State Duma represented parties
 United Russia (Единая
Россия)
 Communist Party of the
Russian Federation
(Коммунистическая
партия Российской
Федерации)
 Liberal Democratic Party
of Russia (Либерально-
Демократическая
Партия России)
 A Just Russia
(Справедливая Россия)

4. Years of Russian presidential elections and
the winning party
 1991: Independent (Boris Yeltsin)
 1996: Independent (Boris Yeltsin)
 2000: Independent (Vladimir Putin)
 2004: Independent Supported by United Russia
(Vladimir Putin)
 2008: Independent Supported by United Russia
(Dmitry Medvedev)
 2012: United Russia (Vladimir Putin)

5. Other registered parties
 Patriots of Russia (Патриоты России, Patrioty Rossii)
 Right Cause (Правое дело, Pravoye Delo)
 The Russian United Democratic Party of Yabloko
(Российская Объединённая Демократическая
Партия "Яблоко", Rossiyskaya Ob'edinyonnaya
Demokraticheskaya Partiya "Yabloko“)

6. United Russia
 Centrist party and currently the
largest party
 Founded on 1 December 2001 with
a merger of Unity and Fatherland-
All Russia parties
 Identifies itself ideologically as a
“Russian conservative” party and
supports the policies of current
president Dmitry Medvedev
 Its association with [President and
current Prime Minister ] Vladimir
Putin has been the prominent key
to its success
 Its popularity declined from its
64.4% peak in 2007 Duma
elections down to 41% in May 2011

7. Communist Party of the Russian Federation
 Communist, Marxist-Leninst,
left-wing, Stalinist party and
second largest party behind
United Russia
 Founded on 14 February 1993
 Its youth organization is
Komsomol Russia
 Considers itself the successor of
the dissolved Communist Party
of the Soviet Union

8. Liberal Democratic Party of Russia
 Regarded as a far-right party
identified with Russian ultra
nationalism and right-wing
populism
 Founded in 1991
 In spite of its name, it is often
not described as liberal or
democratic
 Received a plurality vote in 1993
State Duma elections
 Received 8.14% of the vote in
2007 legislative election

9. A Just Russia
 Social Democratic, neo-
Socialist party
 Founded on 28 October 2006
as merger of Rodina, the
Russian Party of Life and the
Russian Pensioners’ Party
 Its platform is based on the
principles of fairness,
freedom and solidarity
 Calls for “New Socialism of
the 21st Century” for rights
and freedoms of the
individual and ensures proper
functioning of a welfare state

10. Patriots of Russia
 Left-wing nationalist and
socialist party
 Founded in April 2005
 Opposes influence of
NATO and the United
States on foreign policy
issues
 Won 0.89% and 0.97% of
the vote in 2007 and 2011
Duma elections,
respectively, but won no
seats in either election

11. Right Cause
 Liberal, democratic, and liberal
conservative party
 Founded on 18 February 2009 as
merger of Union of Right Forces,
Civilian Power and Democratic
Party of Russia
 Its main policy stances include
free marker economy,
democracy and protecting
middle class rights
 Widely considered to be a pro-
Kremlin party, but has already
found itself part of the
opposition to the presidential
administration on many
occasions

12. Russian United Democratic Party
“Yabloko”
 Social liberal party
 Founded in 1993
 Stands for greater freedom and
civil liberties in Russia, greater
integration with the West, closer
ties with the United States and
membership in the European
Union
 Opposed the policies of Boris
Yeltsin and similarly oppose
Vladimir Putin for what they view
as his increasing authoritarian
rule and have demanded the
removal of his government by
“constitutional means”

13. Dmitry Medvedev
 Current PM of Russia; also current leader of
United Russia and leader of United Russia in
Duma
 Born on 14 September 1965
 Previously served as President of Russia from
2008-2012 and First Deputy PM (2005-2008).
 Graduated from Law Department of Leningrad
State University in 1987
 Defended his thesis in 1990, working as docent at
alma mater (now renamed back to Saint
Petersburg State University), where he was
instructor of civil and Roman law until 1999
 His political career started as election campaign
manager and later adviser of St. Petersburg Mayor
Anatoly Sobchak
 Was employed in Russian presidential
administration in November 1999, working as
deputy chief of staff
 Was Vladimir Putin’s campaign manager in 2000
presidential election
 Also served as Chairman of Gazprom’s board of
directors, a position he held until 2008

14. Gennady Zyuganov
 First Secretary of the
Communist Party of the Russian
Federation
 Born on 26 June 1944 in
Mymrino, Oryol Oblast
 Also serves as Chairman of the
Union of Communist Parties –
Communist Party of the Soviet
Union, Deputy of the State
Dumna, and member of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe

15. Vladimir Zhirinovsky
 Founder and leader of the
Liberal Democratic Party of
Russia
 Born Vladimir Eidelstein on 25
April 1946 in Almaty, Kazakh
SSR
 Also serves as Vice-Chairman of
the State Duma and a member
of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe
 His first political breakthrough
was in June 1991 when he came
in third at the first Russian
presidential elections in which
he gathered over six million
votes, or 7.81%

16. Nikolai Levichev
 Leader of A Just Russia
 Born on 28 May 1953 in
Pushkin, Leningrad
(now St. Petersburg)
 Was elected party
leader on 16 April 2011
at the 5th party
congress in Moscow

17. Gennady Semigin
 Leader of Patriots of Russia
 Born on March 23, 1961 in
Khmelnitsky, Ukrainian SSR
 Studied history in Riga and at
the Moscow Institute of
Jurisprudence
 Also a member of the Russian
Academy of Science
 Founded the Patriots of Russia
party after failure in a power
struggle with political opponent
Gennady Zuganov

18. Andrey Dunaev
 Leader of Right Cause

19. Sergey Mitrokhin
 Leader of the Russian
United Democratic Party
“Yabloko”
 Born on 20 May 1963 in
Moscow
 Also served as Deputy of
the State Duma (1993-
2003) and the Moscow
City Hall (2005-2009)

20. Results of 2008 presidential election - Map

21. Results of 2008 presidential election
 United Russia: 71.25%
 Communist Party of the Russian Federation: 17.96%
 Liberal Democratic Party of Russia: 9.48%
 Democratic Party of Russia: 1.31%

22. Results of 2012 presidential election - Map

23. Results of 2012 presidential election
 United Russia: 63.64%
 Communist Party: 17.18%
 Independent: 7.94%
 Liberal Democratic Party: 6.22%
 A Just Russia: 3.85%

24. Конец (The End)