Prime Minister of Russia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation |
|
 Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation |
|
.jpg) Incumbent: Vladimir Putin since: 8 May 2008 |
|
| Appointer | The President |
| Inaugural | Sergei Witte |
|---|---|
| Formation | 6 November 1905 |
| Russia |
This article is part of the series: |
|
|
|
Other countries · Atlas Politics portal |
The Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, (Russian: Председатель Правительства Российской Федерации) unofficially called the Prime-Minister (though such term is not present in the Russian Constitution) is the current Head of Government of the Russian Federation. Executive power is split between the Prime Minister and the President of Russia, who is Russia's Head of State.
During the Imperial era, the Chairman of the Russian Council of Ministers, referred to as the prime minister, was appointed by the Czar (the Emperor); his precursor, the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, had no separate power.
In the era of the Soviet Union, the head of government was the Chairman of Council of People's Commissars (until 1946) and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers (after 1946). People who held those positions are sometimes referred to as the prime ministers.
The current Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation is Vladimir Putin.
Contents |
[edit] Appointment to office and removal from office
The Chairman of the Government is appointed by the President of Russia with the consent of the State Duma.
The President nominates the new head of the cabinet within two weeks after the resignation of the previous government or the inauguration ceremony of the President. The State Duma must discuss the matter within two weeks after the nomination and make a decision. If the State Duma decides to give the President its consent, the President may immediately sign the respective appointment decree. If the State Duma refuses to give its approval, the President will have to nominate another candidate within one week after the rejection of the previous candidate.
Should the State Duma reject candidates nominated by the President for three times consecutively, the President dissolves it and announces new elections, while the Chairman of the Government is appointed by the President without participation of the Duma. The State Duma cannot be dissolved on these grounds during the last six months of the incumbent President's term, in time of emergency or war and in case the State Duma initiates the impeachment of the incumbent President.
The Chairman of the Government may be dismissed by the President at any time at President's own discretion. The head of the cabinet may also pass his resignation to the President at his own initiative. The President may reject such resignation and oblige him to work further. The resignation of the head of the government automatically means the resignation of the whole cabinet as a body.
Under certain circumstances the President may also theoretically be forced to dismiss his prime minister and the whole cabinet under pressure of the State Duma. For that to happen the State Duma has to pass a censure motion against the Government twice within three months. Normally, in this case the President has the right to choose whether to sack the Government or to dissolve the Duma (and if the Duma passes the censure motion just once, the President may also opt to "take into account" the decision of the Duma but "not agree" with it, which technically means that neither the cabinet nor the Duma are dismissed). However, within one year from parliamentary elections the dissolution of the Duma is impossible on these grounds. That is why in this case the President does not have any other option but to dismiss the Government (even if he totally supports it). However, the President is free to appoint the very same person as an acting prime minister for an indefinite period of time should finding a compromise with the parliament turn to be impossible.
Other members of the Russian Government are appointed and dismissed by the President upon recommendation of the Prime Minister.
[edit] Duties and competences
In general, the Prime Minister serves more of an administrative role, nominating members of the Cabinet and implementing domestic policy. In accordance with the federal constitutional law "On the Government of the Russian Federation" the Prime Minister exercises the following duties:
- determines the basic guidelines of the Government activity;
- presents to the President proposals on the structure and functions of the central institutions of the executive branch (e.g. ministries and federal agencies);
- nominates the vice prime ministers, federal ministers and other officers and presents them to the President;
- represents the government as an institution in foreign relations and inside the country;
- heads the sessions of the Government and its Presidium and has the right of decisive vote;
- signs the decrees and executive orders of the government;
- systematically informs the President about the Government activities;
[edit] Succession of the presidency
In case of the President's death, resignation or impeachment the Prime Minister becomes a temporary president until new presidential elections which must take place within three months. The Prime Minister acting as president may not dissolve the State Duma, announce a referendum or propose amendments to the Constitution.
[edit] List of Heads of Government of Russia (1905-Present)
[edit] See also
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||
