Executive Branch
Legislative Branch
How we get our jobs
Judiciary
Power in theory not practice
Grab bag
Last night's reading - add or subtract up to 4x the value
100
The first president of the Russian Federation
Who is Yeltsin?
100
The names of the lower house and the upper house of the Russian legislature, respectively.
What are the State Duma and the Federation Council, respectively?
100
The two national offices directly elected by Russian voters
What are president and Duma representative?
100
A principle in which the law is applied equally to everyone, no matter who they are (such as the rich, powerful, and well connected).
What is rule of law?
100
We could rule Putin's actions and policies unconstitutional but we don't.
What is the Constitutional Court?
100
According to its constitution, the official regime of the RF
What is a democracy?
100
Members of this group was arrested in 2012 for its criticism of Putin demonstrating that this civil right was threatened.
What are Pussy Riot and freedom of speech or freedom of expression?
200
The number of presidents that the Russian Federation has had since its founding.
What is three?
200
The name used to refer to both houses of the Russian legislature.
What is the Federal Assembly?
200
The threshold a presidential candidate must meet to win the or a second round election is triggered.
What is a simple majority?
200
The two highest courts in the Russian Federation.
What are the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court?
200
The duma may use this to hold a current prime minister accountable but it hasn't.
What is a vote of no-confidence?
200
This document laid the foundation for a strong presidency in the RF
What is the 1993 Constitution?
200
In an effort to promote "traditional values," Putin and his supporters have attacked this group of Russians by using "rule by law" methods.
Who are LGBT+ people?
300
The three main offices of the Russian executive branch
What are the offices of president, prime minister, an and cabinet?
300
The Duma may refuse to approve the nomination of this appointee but it may suffer if it does so more than three times.
Who is the Prime Minister?
300
Since the 2000s the electoral system for this chamber has changed several times.
What is the Duma?
300
The court that officially has the power of judicial review (abstract and concrete).
What is the Constitutional Court?
300
We could draft and pass legislation to counter-act President Putin's decrees but we don't.
What is the Duma?
300
Through 2008, Putin respected this thing but since 2012 has not, eventually resetting this in the 2020s so he can stay in office until 2036.
What are term limits?
300
Most democracies use this type of electoral system.
What is proportional representation?
400
The term length of the president prior to 2012 and its length since 2012, respectively.
What are four years and six years, respectively?
400
United Russia is an example of a party that was founded to support an individual political elite.
What is a party of power?
400
The members of this body are appointed by governors and regional legislatures.
What is the Federation Council?
400
The courts validated a recent law that requires advocacy groups that receive foreign funding to register as this.
What are foreign agents?
400
The Duma may over-ride a presidential veto with this.
What is a 2/3 vote?
400
The relationship between Russia's legislative and executive branches
What is a semi-presidential system?
400
In democracies, these groups are supposed to have members that compete for office.
What are political parties?
500
The Russian term for the "enforcers" who support the president through their work in defense, police, & security.
Who are the siloviki?
500
The term lengths of each house.
What are five years in the lower house and varies in the upper house?
500
These are the two electoral systems that have been used in the Duma in varying ways since the 1990s.
What are proportional representation (aka MMDs) and single member district plurality?
500
A phrase to describe a system in which the legal system is used by elites to punish personal and political opponents and rivals.
What is "legal nihilism" or "rule by law"?
500
This type of federalism gave regional government lots of power that has been reduced by Putin's creation of seven administrative districts.
What is asymmetric federalism?
500
This political party has been the longest existing since the founding of the RF, winning seats in the Duma, but never winning enough to control it, and never winning the presidency
What is the Communist Party of the Russian Federation?
500
On paper and in fact - apart from these years - the president of the RF has been the most powerful state office.
What are 2008 - 2012?
600
This type of election can be used by a president to enhance their power while making the move appear legitimate through public support.
What are referendums?
600
Unlike a prime minister who might be more easily and quickly removed from office through this mechanism, this means of removing presidents through the legislature is much more difficult to achieve. (looking for two terms, respectively)
What are votes of no-conference and impeachment, respectively?
600
This presidential power may undermine the independence of the Constitutional Court.
What is the power to nominate judges?
600
In the RF, this is the highest court that handles appeals.
What is the Supreme Court?
600
This term refers to authoritarianism in which elections among multiple parties exist but are not fair or competitive because rule of law is not upheld and state power is used by government to silence or stifle opponents.
What is an illiberal system?
600
In this system, the voting public does not have direct control over selecting their top executive.
What is a parliamentary system?
600
In Russia, especially in the first decade or so Putin's rule, the government was bolstered by the high price of this.
What is oil?