Status and authority

The Federation Council is the upper chamber of the Federal Assembly, the Russian parliament.

It is composed of two representatives from every constituent entity of the Russian Federation with one representing the legislative (representative) authority and the other the executive authority; the former President of the Russian Federation whose term in office has expired or who resigns before that; and no more than 30 representatives of the Russian Federation appointed by the President of the Russian Federation.

The Federation Council is a permanently functioning body. The sittings of the Federation Council are the chamber’s main working format. The Federation Council meets as necessary, but no less than twice a month, separately from the sittings of the State Duma. The two chambers may convene together to hear addresses by the President of the Russian Federation.

The Federation Council holds its sittings in Moscow, usually from 25 January to 15 July and from 16 September until 31 December. The sittings are open to the public. The Federation Council may decide to change the sitting venue or hold a closed sitting.

The Federation Council elects among its members the Speaker of the Federation Council, his or her First Deputy Speakers and Deputy Speakers, who preside over the sittings and are in charge of the chamber’s internal operations.

The powers of the Federation Council are defined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation and in a number of legislative acts.

Exercising legislative power is its main function. The Constitution of the Russian Federation and the Federation Council Rules of Procedure stipulate the manner in which the Federation Council reviews federal constitutional laws and federal laws, approved or adopted by the State Duma, respectively. The Federation Council adopts the Rules of Procedure with a detailed description of its bodies and operations, the chamber’s contribution to the legislative process, and the procedures for reviewing matters within the Federation Council’s purview.

Together with the State Duma, the Federation Council takes part in drafting laws, reviewing them and taking decisions, and also drafts federal laws and federal constitutional laws on its own, under its right to initiate legislation.

Federal laws adopted by the State Duma are subject to mandatory review by the Federation Council in the following areas: the federal budget; federal taxes and duties; financial, foreign exchange, lending and customs regulations, and money creation; ratification of and withdrawal from international treaties of the Russian Federation; status and protection of the state border of the Russian Federation; war and peace.

A federal law is deemed approved by the Federation Council, if it is voted for by more than one half of the total number of its members, while constitutional federal laws are adopted by at least a three fourths majority. A federal law that is not subject to mandatory review is deemed to have been adopted if the Federation Council does not take it up for review within fourteen days. If the Federation Council rejects a federal law, the two chambers of the Federal Assembly may set up a conciliation commission to overcome the differences, after which the federal law has to be reviewed once again by the State Duma and the Federation Council.

Furthermore, the Federation Council has the following authority:

– to approve a presidential executive order imposing martial law;

– to approve a presidential executive order imposing a state of emergency;

– to take decisions on deploying the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation outside its territory;

– to call elections of the President of the Russian Federation;

– to remove the President of the Russian Federation from office, and to lift the immunity of a former President of the Russian Federation;

– to appoint, upon nomination of the President of the Russian Federation, the President of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, Vice-President of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation and the judges of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, Deputy Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation and judges of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation;

– to hold consultations on the candidates presented by the President of the Russian Federation for appointment as the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, deputies of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, prosecutors of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, prosecutors of military and other specialised prosecution offices equated to prosecutors of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation;

– to appoint and dismiss the Chair of the Accounts Chamber and half of its auditors at the proposal of the President of the Russian Federation;

– to hold consultations on the candidates proposed by the President of the Russian Federation for the posts of heads of federal executive bodies (including federal ministers) in charge of issues of defence, state security, internal affairs, justice, foreign affairs, prevention of emergencies and elimination of consequences of natural disasters, public security;

– to terminate upon proposition of the President of the Russian Federation in accordance with the federal constitutional law the powers of the President of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, the Vice-president of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation and the judges of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, Deputy Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation and judges of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, presidents, vice-presidents and judges of the cassation and appeal courts in the event of them committing a violation tarnishing the honour and dignity of judge, as well as in other situations established by federal constitutional law demonstrating impossibility for a judge to continue discharging of his (her) powers;

– to hear annual reports by the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation on the state of law and order in the Russian Federation.

The Federation Council, as well as every senator of the Russian Federation, has the right of legislative initiative.

The Federation Council adopts resolutions on issues of jurisdiction by a majority vote of the total number of senators of the Russian Federation, unless another procedure is stipulated by the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

The Federation Council forms committees that are composed of its members. Committees of the Federation Council are formed to develop basic, conceptual proposals for the exercising of constitutional powers of the Federation Council, the preliminary consideration of draft laws of the Russian Federation on amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation and federal constitutional laws approved by the State Duma and submitted to the Federation Council for consideration, federal laws adopted by the State Duma and submitted to the Federation Council for consideration as well as other matters placed under the jurisdiction of the Federation Council by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, federal constitutional laws, and federal laws.

Federation Council committees are the chamber’s permanent bodies.

The Federation Council may establish ad hoc commissions, composed of its members. An ad hoc commission is established by the Federation Council for a determined period of time in order to fulfil a specific task. The decision to establish an ad hoc commission is subject to coordination with the Federation Council committee in charge of the relevant matter.

Each senator of the Russian Federation must be assigned to one of the Federation Council committees. A senator of the Russian Federation can belong to only one committee. The Speaker of the Federation Council cannot be a member of any Federation Council committees. The First Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council and a Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council may be a member of one of the committees of the Federation Council. A committee of the chamber must be comprised of at least 11 members and no more than 21 senators of the Russian Federation. Federation Council committees may establish subcommittees in charge of their key areas of activity. A member of a Federation Council committee may be part of any subcommittees within the relevant committee.

The Federation Council has the following committees:

Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building

Federation Council Committee on Federal Structure, Regional Policy, Local Government and Northern Affairs

Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security

Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs

Federation Council Committee on the Budget and Financial Markets

Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy

Federation Council Committee on Agriculture and Food Policy and Environmental Management

Federation Council Committee on Social Policy

Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture

Federation Council Committee on the Rules of Procedure and Parliamentary Governance.

Federation Council committees are guided in their work by the principles of transparency and free speech. Sittings of Federation Council committees are usually open to the public. A Federation Council committee may decide to hold a closed sitting at the proposal of its members, and as stipulated in federal constitutional laws and federal laws.