Basic facts about Russia: Political system
The Constitution was adopted by national referendum on December 12, 1993
Russia is a federal presidential republic
The executive power is split between the President and the Prime Minister, but the President is the dominant figure. The legislature is represented by the Federal Assembly of Russia. It has two chambers: the State Duma – the lower house, and the Federation Council – the upper house. The judicial power is vested in courts and administered by the Ministry of Justice.
The President
The President is the head of state and is elected by popular vote every six years for a maximum of two consecutive terms. The original constitution had four-year presidential terms, but this was amended to six years by parliament late in 2008. The new rules will not apply to the current administration and will come into effect only after the next election, due in 2012. The President’s working residence is in the Moscow Kremlin. The President determines the basic domestic and foreign policy, is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, can veto legislative bills, resolves issues of citizenship of the Russian Federation, awards state decorations and grants pardons.
The Government
Government duties are split between a number of ministries, some of which, in turn, have federal services and federal agencies answerable to them. The head of government, the prime minister, is appointed by the president and confirmed by the State Duma. The government is housed in the so-called White House in Moscow. The government ensures the implementation of domestic and foreign policy, works out the federal budget, oversees the implementation of financial and monetary policy, ensures the rule of law, human rights and freedoms.
The Parliament
The bicameral Federal Assembly makes federal law, approves treaties, declares war and has the power of the purse. Both its chambers are located in Moscow.
The Federation Council
The Federation Council of Russia is the upper house of the Russian Parliament. Created by the 1993 constitution, it was to act as a voice of Russia’s federated entities. The Council has explicitly stated that no political factions are to exist in the upper house.
Unlike the State Duma, the Council isn’t directly elected. It consists of representatives of Russia’s federal entities – each has two. One is elected by the entity’s legislature; the other is nominated by the entity’s head. The terms of the members aren’t nationally fixed, but depend on the terms of the regional bodies that chose them.
The Council works with the lower chamber to complete and vote on draft laws. But the Federation Council also has special powers of its own, including the declaration of a presidential election, impeachment of the President and decisions on the use of the armed forces outside Russia’s territory.
The State Duma
The State Duma is the lower house of the Russian Parliament. The 450 deputies are elected for terms of five years following constitutional amendments agreed by parliament late in 2008. However, the original term of four years will apply to the current Duma, as the new rules do not come into effect until after the next election. Any Russian citizen over the age of 21 is eligible to run. Half the seats used to be filled through proportional representation and the other half through single seat constituencies. Now the system has changed.
The 2007 parliamentary election used a new format whereby all deputies were elected from party-lists through proportional representation.
The term Duma comes from the Russian “dumat” (“to think”). Compared to some European democracies, the Russian Duma is quite a youngster. Founded in 1906, it didn’t survive the 1917 revolution. But it bounced back in 1993, when Russia’s first President, Boris Yeltsin, introduced a new constitution.
All bills, even those proposed by the Federation Council, must first be considered by the State Duma. Once a bill is passed by a majority in the Duma, a draft law is sent back to the Federation Council. If the Council rejects it, the two chambers may form a commission to work out a compromise.
The Judiciary
Three types of court make up the Russian judiciary:
The courts of general jurisdiction (including military courts), subordinated to the Supreme Court;
He arbitration court system under the High Court of Arbitration;
The Constitutional Court (as well as constitutional courts in a number of federal entities)
The municipal court is the lowest adjudicating body in the general court system. It serves each city or rural district and hears more than 90 per cent of all civil and criminal cases. The next level of courts of general jurisdiction is the regional courts. At the highest level is the Supreme Court. Decisions of the lower trial courts can generally be appealed only to the immediately superior court.
Arbitration courts are in practice specialised courts which resolve property and commercial disputes between economic agents. The highest level of court resolving economic disputes is the High Court of Arbitration.
The Constitutional Court is empowered to rule on whether or not laws or presidential decrees are constitutional. If it finds that a law is unconstitutional, the law becomes unenforceable and governmental agencies are barred from implementing it. The judges of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and the Higher Arbitration Court are appointed by the parliament’s upper house, the Federation Council.
National Flag of Russia
The national flag of Russia symbolizes the rich cultural history of the bygone era at the same time also represents the aims and aspirations of the present day. Through out the decades, different formats have been designed but finally in the year 1991 the Russian Federation adopted the present day ensign as the national flag of Russia.
Information on National Flag of Russia---
Historical evidences suggest that it was in the 17th century during the reign of Tsar Alexis I, that an order was placed to design a flag for the Russian naval. This particular flag was designed according to the Dutch ensign and continued to be a part of the Russian naval and military national flag since 1693. It was not until the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II in 1896, that it became an official national flag. In the subsequent years however, there were minor changes.
One of the major aspects of the national flag of Russia lies in the fact that it is a tri color flag white on the top, blue in the middle and red on the bottom. The three colors imprinted on the flag, derived source from ‘the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Moscow', which portrays the famous Saint George in a white armor, riding a white horse, while wearing a blue cape and possessing a blue shield, in a red field. The three colors were also believed to be associated with Virgin Mary.
According to the Russian social system, white stands for God, blue represents the Tsar of Russia and red symbolizes the peasant class. Some also believe that-- white thus stands for Belarus, blue for Ukraine or Small Russia and red signifies the mainland of Russia.
Thus, the various aspects of national flag of Russia represent the great historical heritage of the country.
Economy of Russia
123Independenceday » Russia » Economy
The vast land of Russia has witnessed great economic rise and fall through the past many decades. The economy of Russia once was regarded as one of the powerful economies of the world, but after the dissolution of Soviet Union, the economic industrialization suffered a setback. Over the years, the vast natural resources of Russia have helped to boost the rapid phase of industrialization aided by advancement of science and technology. It's interesting to note that there are special economic zones scattered at different parts of the country, each contributing in its own way to the industrial development of the country. Cross border trade has been a main forte of the country, since the declaration of the 'Treaty of Kulja' in the year 1851 between China and Russia. Major trade partners of Russia include-Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Turkey and Switzerland.
Agriculture and Natural Resources of Russia--- An analysis of the comprehensive economy of Russia remains incomplete without mentioning the important agricultural regions of the country. The agricultural area extends from the Central district which falls in the European Russia covering Ukraine, Belarus to western part of Siberia. Each of the seven federal districts of Russia as--- Central region, North western, Southern region, Volga, Siberian region, Ural and the far- eastern region, while its important to note that 95% of Russia's agricultural output comes from the Central, Southern, Volga, and Siberian region. Majority of the farm lands in the rural areas follow rotation of cropping. The chief agricultural products of Russia are--- grain, sugar beets, vegetables, beef, sunflower seeds fruits and dairy by-products. Statistics indicate that Russia contributes 20% of total world production of oil and natural gas. Large deposits of iron-ore are also found in the Kola Peninsula, Karelia, south-central Siberia, and the Far East. Copper and zinc are also found in the Ural region, North Ossetia and Kola Peninsula. Other minerals found are-- Tin, tungsten, bauxite, and mercury, iron ore, manganese, chromium, platinum, titanium, lead, diamonds, phosphates and gold. Trade and Business of Russia--- The economic conditions of Russia received a great boost after the certain economic reforms were initiated in the year 1990. This set of economic reforms focused on two aspects of Russian economy as--- stability through macro-economic policies and restructuring of the economy. In this case, emphasis was more on promoting a stable financial growth and establishment of legal codes for smooth running of commercial enterprises. The liberalized economic structure of Russia paved the way for privatization of some companies thereby enhancing a speedy growth facilitated by economic and industrial ties with other countries. Subsequently, the G.D.P growth was 6.5% and is expected to grow at the rate of 4.9% per annum. Foreign trade rose at the rate of 34%, with major investment projects from the country of China. Thus, an overview of the economy of Russia presents a detailed picture of prevalent financial conditions in Russia.
The national flag of the United States of America (or the American flag) consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton (referred to specifically as the "union") bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 states and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that rebelled against the British monarchy and became the first states in the Union.[1] Nicknames for the flag include the "Stars and Stripes", "Old Glory",[2] and "The Star-Spangled Banner" (also the name of the national anthem).
The present Australian flag can be considered to consist of three main elements:
The Union Jack in the upper hoist quadrant or first quarter (also know as the Canton), denoting Australia's historical links with Great Britain. The Union Jack itself is composed of red and white intersecting and overlayed vertical and diagonal crosses on a blue background,
The Southern Cross in the second quarter (also known as the top or head) and fourth quarter. Consists of five stars in a more or less kite-like pattern - Alpha Crucis (7-point), Beta Crucis (7-point), Gamma Crucis (7-point), Delta Crucis (7-point) and the smaller Epsilon Crucis (5-point). The outer diameter of each of the 4 major stars is 1/7 the width of the fly and the inner diameter is 4/9 outer diameter; the diameter of Epsilon Crucis is 1/12 the width of the fly and the inner diameter is 4/9 the outer diameter. The constellation of the Southern Cross is a significant navigational feature of the southern hemisphere, strongly places Australia geographically and has been associated with the continent since its earliest days,
The Commonwealth Star or Star of Federation, central in the third quarter or lower hoist, has seven points to denote the six states and the combined territories of the Commonwealth. The seventh point was added in 1909. The outer diameter is 3/5 the width of the Union Jack (3/10 the width of the fly) and the inner diameter is 4/9 the outer diameter.
Australia's flag is also called the Commonwealth Blue Ensign. It has three main design elements on a deep blue background:
The British Union Jack flag is in the upper left corner - noting Australia's ties to Great Britain
The Southern Cross constellation (5 stars) is on the right side of the flag - the Southern Cross is a major navigational constellation in the Southern Hemisphere
The large, white, seven-pointed Commonwealth Star (also called the Star of Federation) - it is symbolic of the original states of Australia.
On January 1, 1901, this flag was was chosen from about 30,000 entries in a public contest. Annie Whistler Dorrington, Ivor Evans, Leslie John Hawkins, Egbert John Nuttal, and Perth and William Stevens were declared winners of the design contest. It was officially adopted as the Australian flag in 1953.