Vladimir Putin addressed the Council of Legislators on the Day of Russian Parliamentarism

The date of April 27 is not accidental. On this day in 1906, the first convocation of the State Duma of the Russian Empire, the first democratic institution in modern Russian history that revived the principles of parliamentarism in Russia, began its work in Tauride Palace in St Petersburg.
Four convocations of the State Duma were elected before 1917.
The State Duma of the first convocation was dissolved by the Tsar after 73 days of work. The Second Duma existed for 103 days, passed several dozens of bills and in 1907 was also abolished.
The Third Duma was the only one of the four to serve a full term of five years (1907–1912). The last, Fourth State Duma of the Russian Empire, which worked since November 1912, was abolished as a result of the February 1917 revolution. On March 12 (February 27, O.S.) 1917, the Provisional Committee of the State Duma was established. Formally the Duma continued to exist until October 19 (October 6, O.S.) 1917, when it was dissolved by the Provisional Government.
As Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, wrote on his Telegram channel, “Democracy is not about shouting in a square or having a street brawl, as some think. It is the realization of citizens’ rights: to participate in elections, to influence government decisions, to freely express their views and to be a member of any registered political party. Using the definition given by Adam Przeworski, one of the most famous theorists of modern democracy, democracy is about procedures, norms and rules.”
Modern Russian Parliament, a representative and legislative body of state power of the Russian Federation, is the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation that, according to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, consists of two chambers: the Federation Council and the State Duma. The Federation Council consists of 170 senators and the State Duma consists of 450 deputies.
Federal laws establish procedures for both forming the Federation Council and electing deputies to the State Duma.
The Council of Federation includes two representatives from each constituent entity of the Russian Federation, one from the legislative (representative) and one from the executive bodies of state power; former President of the Russian Federation upon expiration of the term of office or early termination of the office due to resignation; no more than 30 representatives of the Russian Federation appointed by the President of the Russian Federation, of whom no more than seven may be appointed for life.
The current procedure for forming the Federation Council is defined by the Federal Law No. 439-FZ of December 22, 2020, On the Procedure for Forming the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
The State Duma is elected for a constitutionally established term of five years, while the Federation Council does not have a fixed term of office, but the members of the Federation Council representing the constituents of the Russian Federation are vested with powers for the term of office of the corresponding body of state power of the constituent of the Russian Federation.
The State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation has jurisdiction over the adoption of federal constitutional laws and federal laws, control over the activities of the Government of the Russian Federation, approval of candidates for the post of Chairman of the Government, as advised by the President, approval of candidates for deputy Chairmen of the Government and federal ministers, appointment and dismissal of the head of the Central Bank, deputy Chairman of the Audit Chamber and the Commissioner for Human Rights, granting of amnesty and issues of international parliamentary cooperation.
The Federal Assembly is a single parliamentary organism, but this does not mean that its chambers act together in all cases. On the contrary, the Constitution of the Russian Federation stipulates that the Federation Council and the State Duma sit separately. The chambers may meet only in the three cases established by the Constitution of the Russian Federation:
1. To hear addresses by the President of the Russian Federation;
2. To hear addresses from the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation;
3. To hear speeches by leaders of foreign states.
The Constitution also provides for a joint meeting of members of the Federation Council and deputies of the State Duma for the swearing-in of the President of the Russian Federation.
“Western ‘well-wishers’ cannot rest easy worrying about the fate of democracy in Russia,” Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the CSTO PA and Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, writes in his Telegram channel. “Calm down! Our country has its own democracy gene. We do not need to implant someone else’s. Nor will we allow anyone to do this.”