Januskopf Staatsduma

Russia’s State Duma is not a democratic parliament. But it is more than just staffage in a totalitarian system. And it is also more than a “rubber-stamp” that notarises legislative proposals submitted by the presidential administration. A mandate in the State Duma offers diverse opportunities to pursue personal or collective interests. The State Duma is an “battlefield of the elites” where ministries, authorities and economic interest groups feud with one another. Social interests are hardly represented in the Duma.