| Chapter 5. The
Federal Assembly Article 94.
The Federal Assembly - Parliament of the Russian
Federation - shall be the supreme representative and
legislative body of the Russian Federation.
Article 95.
1. The Federal Assembly shall consist of two chambers --
the Federation Council and the State Duma.
2. Two deputies from each subject of the Federation shall
be members of Federation Council: one from the
representative and one from the executive bodies of state
authority.
3. The State Duma shall consist of 450 deputies.
Article 96.
1. The State Duma shall be elected for a term of four
years.
2. The procedure for forming the Federation Council and
the procedure for electing deputies to the State Duma
shall be established by federal law.
Article 97.
1. Any citizen of the Russian Federation aged 21 and
older who has the right to take part in elections may be
elected deputy to the State Duma.
2. One and the same person may not concurrently be a
deputy to the Federation Council and to the State Duma. A
deputy to the State Duma may not be a deputy to any other
representative body of state power or bodies of local
self-government.
3. The deputies to the State Duma shall work on a
permanent professional basis. Deputies to the State Duma
may not be employed in the civil service or engage in any
activities for remuneration other than teaching, research
or other creative activities.
Article 98.
1. Deputies to the Federation Council and deputies to the
State Duma shall possess immunity throughout their term
in office. A deputy may not be detained, arrested,
searched except when detained in the act of perpetrating
a crime, and may not be subject to personal search except
when such search shall be authorized by law to ensure the
safety of other people.
2. The question of stripping a deputy of immunity shall
be decided on the recommendation of the
Prosecutor-General of the Russian Federation by the
corresponding chamber of the Federal Assembly.
Article 99.
1. The Federal Assembly shall be a permanent body.
2. The State Duma shall hold its first session on the
30th day after its election. The President of the Russian
Federation may convene a session of the State Duma before
this term.
3. The first session of the State Duma shall be opened by
the oldest deputy.
4. From the start of the work of the new State Duma the
powers of the previous State Duma shall cease.
Article 100.
1. The Federation Council and the State Duma shall sit
separately.
2. The sessions of the Federation Council and the State
Duma shall be open. Each chamber has the right to hold
closed sessions as envisaged by its rules.
3. The chambers may have joint sessions to hear the
addresses of the President of the Russian Federation,
addresses of the Constitutional Court of the Russian
Federation and speeches by leaders of foreign states.
Article 101.
1. The Federation Council shall elect from among its
members the Chairman of the Federation Council and his
deputies. The State Duma shall elect from among its
members the Chairman of the State Duma and his deputies.
2. The Chairman of the Federation Council and his
deputies, the Chairman of the State Duma and his deputies
shall preside over the sessions and supervise the
internal rules of the chamber.
3. The Federation Council and the State Duma shall form
committees and commissions, exercise parliamentary
supervision over issues within their jurisdiction and
hold parliamentary hearings.
4. Each chamber shall adopt its own rules and solve
questions of internal organization and work.
5. In order to exercise control over the federal budget
the Federation Council and the State Duma shall form an
Accounting Chamber, the membership and rules of order of
which shall be determined by federal law.
Article 102.
1. The jurisdiction of the Federation Council shall
include:
a) approval of changes of borders between the subjects of
the Russian Federation;
b) approval of the decree of the President of the Russian
Federation on the introduction of martial law;
c) approval of the decree of the President of the Russian
Federation on the introduction of a state of
emergency;
d) making decisions on the possibility of the use of the
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation outside the
territory of the Russian Federation;
e) calling of elections of the President of the Russian
Federation;
f) impeachment of the President of the Russian
Federation;
g) the appointment of judges of the Constitutional Court
of the Russian Federation, the Supreme Court of the
Russian Federation, and the Supreme Court of Arbitration
of the Russian Federation;
h) the appointment to office and the removal from office
of the Prosecutor-General of the Russian Federation;
i) the appointment to office and removal from office of the
deputy Chairman of the Accounting Chamber and half of its
staff of its auditors.
2. The Federation Council shall pass resolutions on the
issues within its jurisdiction under the Constitution of
the Russian Federation.
3. The decrees of the Federation Council shall be adopted
by a majority of all deputies to the Federation Council
unless otherwise provided for by the Constitution of the
Russian Federation.
Article 103.
1. The jurisdiction of the State Duma shall include:
a) granting consent to the President of the Russian
Federation for the appointment of the Chairman of the
Government of the Russian Federation;
b) decisions on confidence in the government of the
Russian Federation;
c) the appointment and dismissal of the Chairman of the
Central Bank of the Russian Federation;
d) the appointment and dismissal of the Chairman of the
Accounting Chamber and half of its staff of auditors;
e) the appointment and dismissal of the Plenipotentiary
for Human Rights acting in accordance with the Federal
Constitutional Law;
f) granting amnesty;
g) bringing charges against the President of the Russian
Federation for his impeachment.
2. The State Duma shall adopt resolutions on the issues
of its jurisdiction envisaged by the Constitution of the
Russian Federation.
3. The resolutions of the State Duma shall be adopted by
a majority of votes of all deputies of the State Duma
unless otherwise provided for by the Constitution of the
Russian Federation.
Article 104.
1. The President of the Russian Federation, the
Federation Council, the members to the Federation
Council, the deputies to the State Duma, the Government
of the Russian Federation and the legislative
(representative) bodies of the subjects of the Russian
Federation shall have the right of legislative
initiative. The Constitutional Court of the Russian
Federation, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation
and the Supreme Court of Arbitration of the Russian
Federation shall also have the right of legislative
initiative within their jurisdiction.
2. Draft laws shall be introduced in the State Duma.
3. The draft laws on the introduction or abolishing of
taxes, exemptions from the payment thereof, on the issue
of state loans, on changes in the financial obligations
of the state and other draft laws providing for
expenditures covered from the federal budget may be
introduced to the State Duma only with a corresponding
resolution by the Government of the Russian Federation.
Article 105.
1. Federal laws shall be passed by the State Duma.
2. Federal laws shall be passed by a majority of votes of
all deputies of the State Duma unless otherwise provided
for by the Constitution of the Russian Federation.
3. Laws adopted by the State Duma shall be passed to the
Federation Council for review within five days.
4. A federal law shall be considered passed by the
Federation Council if more than half of its deputies vote
for it or if within fourteen days it has not been
considered by the Federation Council. In the event the
Federation Council shall reject the federal law, the
chambers may set up a conciliatory commission to settle
the differences, whereupon the federal law shall again be
considered by the State Duma.
5. In the event the State Duma shall disagree with the
decision of the Federation Council, the federal law shall
be considered adopted if, in the second voting, at least
two-thirds of the total number of deputies to the State
Duma vote for it.
Article 106.
The federal laws adopted by the State Duma shall be
considered by the Federation Council on a mandatory basis
if such laws deal with the issues of:
a) the federal budget;
b) federal taxes and levies;
c) financial, monetary, credit and customs regulations
and money emission;
d) ratification and denunciation of international
treaties of the Russian Federation;
e) the status and protection of the state border of the
Russian Federation;
f) war and peace.
Article 107.
1. An adopted federal law shall be sent to the President
of the Russian Federation for signing and publication
within five days.
2. The President of the Russian Federation shall, within
fourteen days, sign a federal law and publish it.
3. If the President rejects a federal law within fourteen
days since it was sent to him, the State Duma and the
Federation Council shall again consider the law in
accordance with the procedure established by the
Constitution of the Russian Federation. If, during the
second hearings, the federal law shall be approved in its
earlier draft by a majority of not less than two thirds
of the total number of deputies
of the Federation Council and the State Duma, it shall be
signed by the President of the Russian Federation within
seven days and published.
Article 108.
1. Federal constitutional laws shall be passed on issues
specified in the Constitution of the Russian Federation.
2. A federal constitutional law shall be considered
adopted, if it has been approved by a majority of at
least three quarters of the total number of deputies of
the Federation Council and at least two thirds
of the total number of deputies of the State Duma. The
adopted federal constitutional law shall be signed by the
President of the Russian Federation within fourteen days
and published.
Article 109.
1. The State Duma may be dissolved by the President of
the Russian Federation in cases stipulated in Articles
111 and 117 of the Constitution of the Russian
Federation.
2. In the event of the dissolution of the State Duma, the
President of the Russian Federation shall determine the
date of elections so that the newly-elected State Duma
shall convene not later than four months since the time
of dissolution.
3. The State Duma may not be dissolved on grounds
provided for by Article 117 of the Constitution of the
Russian Federation within one year after its election.
4. The State Duma may not be dissolved since the time it
has brought accusations against the President of the
Russian Federation and until a corresponding decision has
been taken by the Federation Council.
5. The State Duma may not be dissolved during the period
of the state of emergency or martial law throughout the
territory of the Russian Federation, as well as within
six months of the expiry of the term of office of the
President of the Russian Federation.
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