Russian Executive Branch

Major Cleavages in Russia

Now vs USSR executive

• One Major cleavage in Russia today is that many groups want independence such as Chechnya.
• Russia is worried that if Chechnya succeeds with their independence movements, other groups will follow their example.
• Election fraud could be a future problem, as there is a lot of evidence of fraud in the 2012 election.

In the Soviet Union, the only party was the Communist Party (CPSU). The party ran everything, even though the Soviet Union was technically federal, the executive held all the power. Today there are many parallels. Putin sets policy and chooses who he wants in most of the important positions in Russia. One thing that has changed is that there are now multiple parties. This doesn't actually mean anything because United Russia is dominant. After the collapse of the Soviet Union Russia moved towards democracy, but they appear to be becoming more autocratic again. Another thing that has changed is that the leader of the executive no longer sets the market. There is a lot more privatization in Russia today and the economy is much more like a free market.

Executive Structure

The Russian Executive Branch

-In 1993 the Russians approved a new constitution

-modeled after France's strong president

-Semi-presidential, president is elected but president picks prime minister. There is no vice president.

-Institutions can be easily changed

-Putin switched power between the president and prime minister when it best suited him.

-The Soviet Union had a gigantic bureaucracy and it still maintains is presence.

Who has the Most Power?

President (Putin)

-sets basic policy

-names the prime minister

-appoints top officials

-vetoes bills

-dissolve parliament, if they refuse the presidents prime minister appointment three times

-rule by degree

-can fire and hire prime ministers at will

Prime Minister

2008-2012 (taking a break from presidency)

Who has the least power?

Russia's Executive Branch

Prime Minister (Dmitry Medvedev)

- There arguments that during Medvedev's presidency that Putin was really the one in power.

- His presidency was a just a way for Putin to appease the Russian constitution and stay in power

Otherwise known as, "The World Revolves Around Vladimir Putin"

From president to prime minister and back again

President

2000-2008

2012-

Cleavages (forced resignations)

Russia

-President must win a majority

-Run off if necessary

-Dual executive

-Similar to France

How do you get in the Executive Branch?

Finance Minister

Current Events

-Alexei Kudrin forced to resign by Putin

Putin

The Many Uses of Monarchy in Russia

http://en.ria.ru/columnists/20131111/184646989/Due-West-The-Many-Uses-of-Monarchy-in-Russia.html

Regional Developemental Minister

-Separate Head of Government and Head of State

-PM not directly elected

-Time between elections varies

-One Party dominates elections

-Viewed as corrupt

-Directly elected president

Supreme Court Justices

-Oleg Govorun forced to resign by Putin

-Vladmir Yaroslavtsev and Anatoly Kononov forced to resign by Putin

• The President is technically elected, but the United Russia party always wins by a big margin. Putin is currently the head of this party and was elected President.
• The President appoints the Prime Minister, Presidential Administration, deputies, and ministers.
• The Duma must also approve of the Prime Minister, but if they fail to do so three times they can be removed.
• Pretty much to get into the executive branch you have to be a member of the United Russia and gain Putin's respect.
• President Putin maintains most power and everyone else pretty much just goes along with what he says.

-Powerful Executive

-Extensive Bureaucracies

• The president, head of the executive branch, is a de facto monarch-- meaning he performs duties of a monarch without legally being one.
• Putin had a special tour of “Orthodox Russia: The Romanovs,” a glitzy yet informative high-tech exposition detailing 400 years of the country’s last and most glamorous dynasty.
• Romanov anniversary is not just a historical date, but a significant state occasion.
• Putin sees self as someone to give Russia sense of self and to prove to West that their models don't always work--the anniversary does this.
• Anniversary gives idea that Russia does not need to change anything in its current political setup, in which the executive controls everything.
• Nostalgia for the strong-arm political system is evident in the recently unveiled concept of a unified history course for Russian schoolchildren. It shuns explicit condemnation of the communist regime’s crimes.
• An imperial-style presidency is the answer to all of Russia's problems.
• Do you think the president acts as a monarchy? Why or why not.

Mexico

-Presidential System

-Modeled after U.S.A

Britain

-Fusion between executive and legislative branch

-Executive is member of legislative branch as well

-Both have attorney general

-

Prime Minister

President

-Head of state

-Rubber stamp policy

-Typically head of United Russia

-Temporarily replace president

-Relatively weak (except when Putin is in power)

-Advises president on who to nominate

-Head of government

-Commander-in-chief

-Veto power

-Pardons

-Determines policy (domestic&foreign)

-Can issue decrees and directives (executive orders)

-Nearly impossible to remove

-2/3 vote in Duma for high crime

charges must be validated by

Supreme Court

Ministries (bureaucracy)

-Implement policy (all types)

-17 ministries ranging from sports to energy

-Hierarchal structure

-Federal services/agencies answer to ministries

-5 Federal Services

-30+ Federal Agencies

Law on Presidential Elections

Amendments make it difficult to nominate presidential candidates

More than 50% of population must participate in presidential election

Must win more than 50% of votes

The law requiring 50% or population to vote was abolished in 2007

-essentially only 5 parties can nominate a candidate

-anyone else who runs must collect 2,000,000 signatures first

Composition of Executive Branch

Famous People/Groups

Major Events

Changes within the last decade

• Lenin: Head of Bolshevik Revolution, first general secretary.
• Stalin: Succeeded Lenin, Five-Year Plan, responsible for purges, collectivization.
• Khrushchev: put missiles in Cuba in Cuba leading to Cuban Missile Crisis.
• Gorbachev: Glasnost (openness) policies, loosened social and political restrictions, not liked by anyone in party, Soviet Union collapsed under him.
• Putin: served 2 terms as president and transferred power to the prime minister before he became one, associated with Russia's illiberal democracy.
• United Russia: current party in power.

Medvedev extends term length

Voting "against all" eliminated

Medvedev initiated a law that extended the presidential term to six years

In 2007, the option to vote "against all" was eliminated. Easier for United Russia to win