Balance Of Power In Russia Essay

The role of a democratic state is to represent the view of its people and bring forth their ideas. In order to maintain this role, the state must have a system of checks and balances to preserve the voice of the individual. In many nations around the world, the balance of power between branches of government is weak or absent, leaving democracies to fail in their mission, to vest the power to the people. In this paper, I will analysis and compare the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches of government in the British parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy and Russia’s semi-presidential republic. In the British democracy, the legislature has a powerful role in the government, including checks on the executive in contrary in Russia the Duma is weak in comparison to the Russian president. The British parliament is the strongest branch of the British democracy by constitutional law, but in Russia, the president is in control. I argue that without a strong legislative branch checking the executive branch a democracy will break down leading to the muting of the …show more content…
The president of Russia is elected through direct elections and the prime minister is appointed by the president but must be confirmed by the Duma. The dominant party establishment in Russia is another factor allowing for greater power for the Russian president. Because the domination of the United Russia party in the Duma president Putin is able to pass legislation and policies with ease. The Russian president has many powers including the ability to issue decrees which allow the president to bypass the legislative branch as used by Yeltsin in 1994 and 1999 to invade the Chechnya which was opposed by Russia’s legislative branch. The president also holds the power to veto and dissolve the Duma. The president of Russia holds great power over the nation the legislative