This article discusses political parties in Russia.
The
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
has a ''de jure''
multi-party system
In political science, a multi-party system is a political system in which multiple political parties across the political spectrum run for national elections, and all have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in ...
, however it operates as a near ''de facto''
one-party system. six parties have members in the federal parliament, the
State Duma
The State Duma (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper hous ...
, with one
dominant party (
United Russia
United Russia ( rus, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a Conservatism in Russia, Russian conservative List of political parties in Russia, political party. As the largest party in Russia, it hold ...
).
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 reform within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s widely associated wit ...
reforms in the 1980s Russia had over 100 registered
parties, 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 holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
'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 (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
European Court 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 ideological or p ...
that has a close relationship with the
executive branch of government 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
Democratic Russia (Russian: Демократическая Россия, abbreviation: ДемРоссия ''DemRossiya'') was the generic name for several political entities that played a transformative role in Russia's transition from Communi ...
(1990–1993,
Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union
The Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union (russian: Съезд народных депутатов СССР, ''Sʺezd narodnykh deputatov SSSR'') was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union from 1989 to 1991.
Backg ...
/
Congress of People's Deputies of Russia
The Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian SFSR (russian: Съезд народных депутатов РСФСР) and since 1991 Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Federation (russian: Съезд народных депута� ...
/
Supreme Soviet of Russia
The Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR (russian: Верховный Совет РСФСР, ''Verkhovny Sovet RSFSR''), later Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation (russian: Верховный Совет Российской Федерации, ...
)
*
Democratic Choice of Russia (1993–1994)
*
Our Home – Russia
Our Home – Russia (NDR; russian: Наш дом – Россия; НДР; ''Nash dom – Rossiya'', ''NDR'') was a Russian political party that existed from 1995 to the mid-2000s.
History
Our Home – Russia was founded in 1995 by then Russian ...
(1995–1999)
*
Unity
Unity may refer to:
Buildings
* Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building
* Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper
* Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England
* Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; a ...
(1999–2001/2003)
*
A Just Russia - For Truth (the second "party of power", supporting
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
and opposing
United Russia
United Russia ( rus, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a Conservatism in Russia, Russian conservative List of political parties in Russia, political party. As the largest party in Russia, it hold ...
)
*
United Russia
United Russia ( rus, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a Conservatism in Russia, Russian conservative List of political parties in Russia, political party. As the largest party in Russia, it hold ...
(2001–present)
Social composition of voters
According to studies, United Russia voters in 2007 were younger and more
market-oriented than the average voter. The party's electorate includes a substantial share of
government employees
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
, pensioners and
military personnel
Military personnel are members of the state's armed forces. Their roles, pay, and obligations differ according to their military branch (army, navy, marines, air force, space force, and coast guard), rank ( officer, non-commissioned office ...
, 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 A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry.
Lists of current ministries of justice
Named "Ministry"
* Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia)
* Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan)
* Ministry of Justi ...
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 (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper hous ...
as of 2021.
Parties represented in the
State Duma
The State Duma (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper hous ...
and the
Federation Council
The Federation Council (russian: Сове́т Федера́ции – ''Soviet Federatsii'', common abbreviation: Совфед – ''Sovfed''), or Senate (officially, starting from July 1, 2020) ( ru , Сенат , translit = Senat), is th ...
Parties represented in the regional parliaments
Parties represented in Occupied/Separatist Regions
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
Pre-revolutionary organizations
After-revolutionary parties
Left-wing
Centrist and moderate right
Right-wing
See also
*
List of ruling political parties by country
This is a list of ruling political parties by country, in the form of a table with a link to an overview of political parties in each country and showing which party system is dominant in each country. A political party is a political organiza ...
*
Politics of Russia
The politics of Russia take place in the framework of the federal semi-presidential republic of Russia. According to the Constitution of Russia, the President of Russia is head of state, and of a multi-party system with executive power ex ...
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
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
Politics of Russia
Political parties
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 ...
Political parties
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 ...
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...