This article discusses political parties in Russia.
The
Russian Federation
Russia ( rus, link=no, Россия, Rossiya, ), or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, covering over , and encom ...

has a
multi-party system
In political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions
In psychology, decision-making (also spelled decision making and decis ...
. six parties have members in the federal parliament, the
State Duma
The State Duma ( rus, Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaya dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house
A lower house is one of two chambers
Chambers may refer to ...
, with one
dominant party (
United Russia
United Russia ( rus, links=, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a political party in Russia. United Russia is the largest party in Russia
Russia ( rus, link=no, Россия, Rossiya, ), or th ...
).
History
200px, Certificate of state registration of political parties in Russia, issued by the Ministry of Justice of Russia
After the
Perestroika
Perestroika (; russian: links=no, перестройка, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg) was a political movement for reformation within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) ...
reforms in the 1980s Russia had over 100 registered
parties
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host
A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it.
Host may also refer to:
Places
*Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks Cou ...
, but the people elected to the State Duma represented only a small number of parties. After 2000, during
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who is serving as the current president of Russia. He has been serving in this position since 2012, and he previously held this of ...

's first presidency (2000–2008), the number of parties quickly decreased. From 2008 to 2012 there were only seven parties in Russia, and every new attempt to register new, independent parties was blocked. The last-registered party of this period was the government-organized
Right Cause
The All-Russian Political Party «Right Cause» (PD; russian: Всероссийская политическая партия «Правое дело»; ПД; ''Vserossiyskaya politicheskaya partiya «Pravoye delo»'', ''PD'') was the officially ...
(now the Party of Growth) which was registered on 18 February 2009. Before the
2011 parliamentary election, about 10 opposition parties were denied registration. However, after a
series of mass protests and a 2011
decision on the case of the
Republican Party of Russia (now the People's Freedom Party), the law changed and the number of registered parties quickly increased to more than 48 .
Party of power
A "party of power" refers to a
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
that has a close relationship with the
executive branch of government
The executive (short for executive branch or executive power) is the part of government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, ...
such that the party appears to function as an extension of the executive rather than as an autonomous political organization.
The concept resembles that of a
cartel party.
These parties were specially established for support of the incumbent president or prime minister in the Russian parliament:
*Inter-regional Deputies Group/Democratic Russia (1990–1993, Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union/Congress of People's Deputies of Russia/Supreme Soviet of Russia)
*Democratic Choice of Russia (1993-1994)
*Our Home – Russia (1995–1999)
*Unity (Russian political party), Unity (1999–2001/2003)
*A Just Russia (the second "party of power", supporting
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who is serving as the current president of Russia. He has been serving in this position since 2012, and he previously held this of ...

and opposing
United Russia
United Russia ( rus, links=, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a political party in Russia. United Russia is the largest party in Russia
Russia ( rus, link=no, Россия, Rossiya, ), or th ...
)
*
United Russia
United Russia ( rus, links=, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a political party in Russia. United Russia is the largest party in Russia
Russia ( rus, link=no, Россия, Rossiya, ), or th ...
(2001–present)
Social composition of voters
According to studies, United Russia voters in 2007 were younger and more market economy, market-oriented than the average voter. The party's electorate includes a substantial share of Civil service, government employees, pensioners and soldier, military personnel, who are dependent on the state for their livelihood.
Sixty-four percent of United Russia supporters are female. According to researchers, this could be because women place a great value on stability. In the run-up to the 2011 Duma elections, it was reported that support for United Russia was growing among young people.
[Yevgeny Utkin]
Seven parties, one virtually certain outcome
Russia Beyond the Headlines. (2011-11-23)
Current parties
All parties registered by the Ministry of Justice (Russia), Ministry of Justice have the right to participate in any elections all over the country. The list is placed on the Justice Ministry website. In December 2012, there were 48 registered parties in Russia; 6 of them are currently represented in the
State Duma
The State Duma ( rus, Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaya dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house
A lower house is one of two chambers
Chambers may refer to ...
as of 2021.
Parties represented in the
State Duma
The State Duma ( rus, Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaya dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house
A lower house is one of two chambers
Chambers may refer to ...
and the Federation Council (Russia), Federation Council
Parties represented in the Regional parliaments of Russia, regional parliaments
List of registered parties
Historical parties (1992–present)
Far-left
Left-wing
Centre-left
Centrist
Centre-right
Right-wing
Far-right
Syncretic
Regionalist parties
Soviet parties, 1917–1992
CPSU and factions
Clandestine and illegal parties
Parties of the multi-party period
Parties of the Russian Empire, 1721–1917
1905 Russian Revolution, Pre-revolutionary organizations
1905 Russian Revolution, After-revolutionary parties
Left-wing
Centrist and moderate right
Right-wing
See also
* List of ruling political parties by country
* Politics of Russia
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
External links
Justice Ministry webpage about Russian political partiesCentral Election Commission of the Russian Federation webpage about Russian political parties
{{Russia topics
Political parties in Russia,
Lists of political parties by country, Russia
Politics of Russia
Russia politics-related lists, Political parties
Lists of organizations based in Russia, Political parties
Lists of political parties in Asia, Russia
Lists of political parties in Europe, Russia