title: The Federal Assembly – more than just a “rubber stamp”?
abstract: For many observers of Russian politics, the country’s bicameral national parliament – the Federal Assembly – is a sham institution: a “rubber stamp” body that simply nods through decisions made by the president without providing effective oversight or representation. According to a wide range of analyses, the emergence of United Russia as the dominant “party of power” under President Vladimir Putin facilitated a highly effective “unity of purpose” in a formally separation of powers system, allow