2007 G8 Summit Magazine - (Page 45) Russia T he Russian Federation is a centralised presidential republic. It is divided into 88 “federal subjects” or jurisdictions which are themselves grouped into seven federal districts. There are 21 republics, one autonomous oblast, nine autonomous regions, seven territories, 48 oblasts and two cities (St. Petersburg and Moscow) having federal status. Although the republics are represented by Russia in their foreign relations, they have their own constitutions and their own legal systems. The official language is Russian. The capital is Moscow. Russia is approx. 17,075,000 sq. km in area and has a population of 143 million. The population is mainly Russian Orthodox, but Islam, Judaism and Buddhism are also represented. Russia is a member of the CIS (since 1991), the UN (since 1945), the OSCE (since 1991), the Council of Europe (since 1992), the IMF and other organisations. G8 The Russian Federation has been a member of G8 since 1998. The first summit under Russian presidency was held in St. Petersburg in 2006. Political system The Head of State is the President, the office being occupied by Vladimir Putin since 2000. He has many powers, and determines the general lines of domestic and foreign policy. The Russian Parliament consists of two chambers, the Duma and the Federation Council. The Federation Council represents the federal subjects. Since 2002 it has been made up of representatives of governors and of regional parliaments. In order to provide a forum for -45- |
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