Russia

The Russian Federation ({{lang-ru|??????????? ??????????}}, transliteration: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya or Rossijskaja Federacija), or Russia (Russian: ???????, transliteration: Rossiya or Rossija), is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of Europe and Asia. With an area of 17,075,400 km² (6,595,600 mi²), it is the largest country in the world, covering almost twice the territory of the next-largest country, Canada. It ranks eighth in the world in population. It shares land borders with the following countries (counter-clockwise from NW to SE): Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland (only through Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with the United States, Canada and Japan.

Politics

The Russian Federation is a federal republic with a president, directly elected for a four-year term, who holds considerable executive power. The president, who resides in the Kremlin, nominates the highest state officials, including the prime minister (or premier), who must be approved by the State Duma, the lower house of Russian parliament. The president can pass decrees (executive orders) without consent from Parliament and is also head of the armed forces and of the Russian National Security Council.

Related Topics:
Federal republic - President - Executive - The Kremlin - Prime minister - Premier - State Duma - Lower house - Russian parliament - Executive order - Armed forces - Russian National Security Council

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Russia's bicameral parliament, the Federal Assembly (Russian: ??????????? ????????, English transliteration: Federalnoye Sobraniye) consists of an upper house known as the Federation Council (????? ?????????, Sovet Federatsii), composed of 178 delegates serving a four-year term (two are appointed from each of the 89 federal subjects), and a lower house known as the State Duma (??????????????? ????, Gosudarstvennaya Duma), comprising 450 deputies also serving a four-year term, of which 225 are elected by direct popular vote from single member constituencies and 225 are elected by proportional representation from nation-wide party lists.

Related Topics:
Bicameral - Parliament - Federal Assembly - Federation Council - State Duma - Proportional representation

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Currently (April 2005), the legislation to change this is being debated. If passed, all 450 members of the Duma will be elected from party lists. Next elections are to be held in winter 2007/2008.

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