The Gosduma
What is it?
The Gosudárstvennaya duma, or Gosduma, refers to the State Duma of Russia. The Gosduma is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the Federation Council is the upper house. Since October 2016, Vyacheslav Volodin (UR) has served as chairman of the legislative body. The Gosduma consists of 450 members, referred to as “deputies,” who serve 5-year terms. To achieve an electoral majority in the Gosduma, a party must occupy 226 seats.
Comparison to U.S. Congress
Compared to the United States’ legislative system, the Gosduma shares more similarities to the House of Representatives. Both are the lower houses of their respective legislative bodies, and both consist of more members than the upper house. Additionally, the number of representatives each federal subject receives is not uniform. However, their differences are striking.
In the Gosduma, all 85 federal subjects are represented; this includes oblasts, republics, krais, autonomous okrugs, federal cities, and autonomous oblasts. However, while the number of representatives a U.S. state receives is contingent on its population, the number of representatives a federal subject receives is contingent on the number of constituencies, or sub-regions within it. For example, Adygea, a republic, has one constituency, while the Rostov Oblast has seven constituencies. Thus, the two federal subjects are represented by one and seven representatives in the Gosduma, respectively.
A second significant difference between the U.S. House and Russian Gosduma is how they behave politically. In the case of the U.S. House of Representatives, the House is a significant legislative body. The Gosduma is as well, but compared to the House, the Gosduma is more executive-focused. Rather than serving primarily as a legislative body, the Gosduma is a reliable ally of the executive and works to forward the policy goals of the Putin Administration.
Administrative Divisions of Russia
Image courtesy of World Atlas
Primary Political Parties in Russia
United Russia—Yedinaya Rossiya
United Russia (UR) is the largest and most influential political party in Russia. Former President Dmitry Medvedev has chaired the party since 2012, and the party is the legislative backbone for President Vladimir Putin. Although it is a centrist, big-tent party, UR is definitively conservative and promotes nationalist positions like building up Russia’s military, staunch Euroscepticism, and further ties between the state and the Russian Orthodox Church.
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia—Liberal’no-demokraticheskaya partiya Rossii
Of the parties that occupy seats in the Gosduma, the LDPR is unquestionably the most ultra-nationalist, right-wing party. Vladimir Zhirinovsky has led the party since the 1990s, but despite being far more hardline and conservative than UR, the LDPR poses virtually no threat to the Putin regime.
Communist Party of the Russian Federation—Kommunističeskaya Partiya Rossijkoj Federatsii
The Communist Party traces its roots back to the early revolutionary movement in imperial Russia and built upon Marxist-Leninist ideology. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the creation of the independent Russian Federation, communist parties were banned between 1991 and 1993. However, in 1993, the Communist Party officially registered as a legal political party with the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.
A Just Russia-For Truth—Spravedlivaya Rossiya-Za pravdu
Compared to UR, the LDPR, and the Communist Party, A Just Russia is relatively new, having been founded in 2006. The party is considered to be center-left while being a moderate supporter of the Putin regime. It backed him during the 2018 presidential election after opting not to nominate any of its members for election.
Russian United Democratic Party “Yabloko”—Rossiyskaya obyedinyonnaya demokraticheskaya partiya
Of the four aforementioned political parties, “Yabloko” is perhaps the most unique. It is a social-liberal, center-left party with favorable views on the European Union and the United States. These views make it an outlier compared to most Russian parties, including liberal and left-wing parties.
Political Spectrum of Russian Political Parties
Election Results
Election Background
Between September 17th and 19th in 2021, Russians across the country turned out to vote for their constituency’s representative to the Gosduma. It is estimated that approximately 51.7% of eligible voters cast their ballots.
Results
In total, United Russia won just under 50% of the vote. This signaled that despite losing 19 seats, resulting in 324 seats, the pro-Putin United Russia party is still undoubtedly in control. The closest competitor to UR was the Communist Party which amassed just under 19% of the vote and gained 15 seats, increasing its total to 57. Although the LDPR won over 7.5% of the vote, the party experienced a net loss in seats resulting in only 21 seats occupied by its politicians. A Just Russia won 7.46% of the vote but experienced positive growth as the 4 additional seats won by the party resulted in a total of 27 occupied seats. Lastly, “Yabloko” won a mere 1.3% of the vote, resulting in the party occupying 0 seats in the Gosduma.
Composition of the Gosduma post-election
Image courtesy of Radio Free Europe/Free Liberty
Why are the results important?
Although the election results were unsurprising, they indicate that the Putin regime is still squarely in power. Despite losing 19 seats, UR has retained a supermajority and controls the legislative process. Despite UR’s significant victory, the election has been marred by controversy. Communist Party officials, candidates, and supporters alleged that the government had committed significant election fraud, and allies of imprisoned dissident Alexei Navalny echoed the CP’s objections.
Anti-corruption demonstrators at the Communist Party rally following the preliminary results
Implications for the United States
For the United States, the results of the Gosduma election mean very little. United Russia remains the most powerful party with an anti-western stance, and its victory signals that this position will continue. Moreover, it indicates that anti-American sentiment is still prevalent in Russian society, at least to some extent.
The response by the U.S. government was unsurprising. In a press statement, Ned Price, a U.S. State Department Spokesperson, condemned the election and said that it “took place under conditions not conducive to free and fair proceedings.” Moreover, the U.S. criticized the Russian government’s use of laws that designate opposition political groups and movements as “extremist organizations” and “foreign agents.”
