Presidents of Russia

Presidents of Russia
Public domain · source
Name	Presidency of the Russian Federation
Incumbent	Vladimir Putin
Incumbent since	7 May 2012
Residence	Kremlin, Moscow
Formation	10 July 1991
Inaugural	Boris Yeltsin
Website	Official site of the President of Russia

Contents

Presidents of Russia The President of the Russian Federation is the head of state of the Russian Federation, established after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and situated at the center of Russian political life. The office interacts with constitutional institutions such as the Federation Council (Russia), the State Duma, the Constitution of Russia, and federal agencies including the Federal Security Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia). Presidents have shaped relations with states and organizations like the United States, the European Union, the United Nations, and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Overview and Role

The presidency is defined by the Constitution of Russia and by federal law, presiding over national symbols such as the Coat of Arms of Russia and the Flag of Russia. The president appoints senior officials, coordinates with the Prime Minister of Russia, and represents Russia in events such as the G20 Summit, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and bilateral summits with leaders of China, India, and Germany. The office maintains command relations with the Russian Armed Forces, including the Ministry of Defence (Russia) and strategic commands such as the Northern Fleet and the Russian Aerospace Forces.

The inaugural holder was Boris Yeltsin, who presided during events including the August 1991 coup attempt and the signing of treaties with the United States and United Kingdom. Subsequent holders have included Vladimir Putin, whose terms saw actions involving the Second Chechen War, the 2014 annexation of Crimea and engagements with the European Union and NATO. Other key figures in the presidency's timeline include Dmitry Medvedev, linked to policies on modernization and legal initiatives with institutions such as the Central Bank of Russia. Presidents have interacted with domestic actors like United Russia and opposition figures such as Alexei Navalny and international interlocutors including Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, Xi Jinping, and Emmanuel Macron.

Presidential elections are regulated by the Constitution of Russia and federal electoral law overseen by the Central Election Commission of Russia. Candidates may be nominated by political parties like United Russia, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, or by collectives using procedures similar to those employed by figures such as Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Gennady Zyuganov. Succession provisions involve the Prime Minister of Russia and the Federation Council (Russia), with interim arrangements invoked when a president is incapacitated, as occurred in political crises tied to events like the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis.

Constitutional powers include issuing decrees, appointing the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, commanding the Russian Armed Forces, and directing foreign policy with authorization of treaties ratified by the State Duma and Federation Council (Russia). The president grants honors such as the Order of St. Andrew and pardons, and appoints judges to bodies including the Supreme Court of Russia and the Constitutional Court of Russia. The office also influences fiscal institutions like the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation and the Central Bank of Russia via appointments and policy priorities.

Presidents have shaped domestic initiatives on energy policy with actors like Gazprom and Rosneft, reforms interacting with the Federal Antimonopoly Service, and security policy via the Security Council of Russia. Domestic measures have addressed crises such as the 1998 Russian financial crisis and have entailed legislation that passed through the State Duma including social, legal, and administrative reforms. Presidential administrations have engaged with regional leaders in Chechnya and the Republic of Tatarstan and have managed relations with oligarchs such as Roman Abramovich and Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

The president represents Russia in negotiations and treaties including engagements with the United States, China, and multilateral forums like the United Nations Security Council. Presidential decisions have led to confrontations and cooperation involving NATO, the European Union, and regional organizations such as the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Commonwealth of Independent States. High-profile interactions have involved sanctions regimes enacted by actors such as the United States Department of the Treasury and the European Commission, and diplomatic negotiations over issues like arms control treaties with the United States Department of State and institutions connected to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

The office emerged amid the collapse of the Soviet Union and the work of political actors such as Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, and deputies of the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union. The 1993 constitutional framework followed the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis and has evolved through amendments approved by the State Duma and Federation Council (Russia), affecting tenure, appointment powers, and the judiciary. The presidency’s evolution reflects interactions with global events such as the Kosovo War, the Global War on Terror, the Arab Spring, and economic shifts tied to the World Trade Organization accession process and energy markets dominated by companies like Gazprom.