since 17 March 1997)
cabinet: Ministries of the Government or "Government" appointed by the
president
note: there is also a Presidential Administration that drafts
presidential edicts and provides staff and policy support to the
entire executive branch; a Security Council that was originally
established as a presidential advisory body in June 1991 with
responsibility for managing individual and state security; a Defense
Council and a Foreign Policy Council formed in July 1996 and October
1996 respectively
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 16 June 1996 with runoff election on 3 July 1996
(next to be held NA June 2000); note-no vice president; if the
president dies in office, cannot exercise his powers because of ill
health, is impeached, or resigns, the premier succeeds him; the
premier serves as acting president until a new presidential election
is held, which must be within three months; premier and deputy
premiers appointed by the president with the approval of the Duma
election results: Boris Nikolayevich YEL'TSIN elected president;
percent of vote in runoff - YEL'TSIN 54%, Gennadiy Andreyevich
ZYUGANOV 40%

Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or Federal'noye
Sobraniye consists of the Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (178
seats, filled ex-officio by the top executive and legislative
officials in each of the 89 federal administrative units-oblasts,
krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the cities of
Moscow and St. Petersburg; members serve four-year terms) and the
State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats, half elected in
single-member districts and half elected from national party lists;
members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: State Duma-last held 17 December 1995 (next to be held NA
December 1999)
election results: State Duma-percent of vote received by parties
clearing the 5% threshold entitling them to a proportional share of
the 225 party list seats-Communist Party of the Russian Federation
22.3%, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia 11.2%, Our Home Is Russia
10.1%, Yabloko Bloc 6.9%; seats by party-Communist Party of the
Russian Federation 157, independents 78, Our Home Is Russia 55,
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia 51, Yabloko Bloc 45, Agrarian Party
of Russia 20, Russia's Democratic Choice 9, Power To the People 9,
Congress of Russian Communities 5, Forward, Russia! 3, Women of R