Russian government has and continues to revolve around the current President. The communistic country has deferred most if not all of its power to the sitting leader, who can do anything from appointing the head of government, to dissolving a whole branch of legislature. This mixed government system allows the President of Russia to be in complete and total control of the country leaving a foul, dictatorship like stain on whomever is ‘honored’ to bear the title. Russian Presidents can also influence many things outside of the government, such as the media and military.
One of the most important things that the Russian President can do is appoint the Prime Minister of the nation. It seems to be almost like a Vice Presidential type role, but functions a little differently than we might assume. Essentially, the Prime Minister represents the Government of Russia, while still being directly under the President and appointed by the President. They can also be dismissed by the current President at any point, which can assure that the
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Supposedly, the dual executive is supposed to represent how both leaders of Russia are in charge of the government, however the President has always been the most prominent and powerful figure. Within the dual executive, the Prime Minister acts as the head or chairman of the government, overseeing policies, bills, and so on. As for the President, he sits directly above the Prime Minister, and is able to veto any bills or policies that are submitted to him. Because of the dual executive, if something ever happens to the President in which he is no longer fit to rule, or dies, the Prime Minister would take over since he is considered the President’s ‘sidekick’, so to
The governor general, who assigns judges of the federal courts and advises the prime minister as well as accomplishing those duties of the prime minister. The prime minister has power to assign and fire Cabinet ministers, and hundreds of other federal government office holders. The Crown Corporation that is established by the Government of Canada.
...oved to be singularly influential and daunting. This is, perhaps, the greatest obstacles to achieving true democracy in Russia—the authoritarian and repressive traditions that refuse to die out with the passage of time.
In Mellon’s article, several aspects are mentioned supporting the belief that the prime minister is too powerful. One significant tool the prime minister possesses is “… the power to make a multitude of senior governmental and public service appointments both at home and abroad,” (Mellon 164). Mellon goes on to state the significance the prime minister has when allowed to appoint the government’s key member...
The Prime Minister of Canada is the head of government and is appointed by the Governor General. Canada is the northern neighbor to the United States, and the Queen of England is its head of state. These powerful countries being so closely tied to Canada makes it a major player on the world stage, and gives considerable power to its Prime Ministers. There have been twenty-two Prime Ministers, with John Diefenbaker being the thirteenth, serving from 1957-1963, and Pierre Trudeau the fifteenth, who served 1968-1979 and again 1980-1984. Diefenbaker was a progressive conservative, a right-center group associated with British imperialism.
The Prime Minister (PM) is the head of the Government and is the most senior minister in parliament.
Russia is a different country than most are used to which has made a history for itself. Russia played a huge part in World War II as well as established many scientific minds and creation. The first mission (unmanned) to outer space was conducted by Russia (Soviet Union). Their government is similar to democracy, but contains a president, a prime minister, a judicial branch, and a Russian Federation Assembly (State Duma and the Federation Council). Power is split between the Prime Minister (Dmitry Medvedev) and the President (Vladimir Putin); however, the president has deciding power (Darlington, 2014).
Kennedy-Pipe, Caroline. Stalin’s Cold War: Soviet Strategies in Europe, 1943 to 1956. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995.
Autocracy-A government system, where a person or group has total power over a country. The Russian autocrat at the time of the emancipation of the serfs was Alexander the Second who was assassinated.
In 1513, an Italian politician by the name of Niccolo Machiavelli distributed, though privately, a political treatise called The Prince. This treatise was, essentially, a guide on how to effectively rule one's country. It's important beforehand to define exactly what a Machiavellian is, before describing one. A Machiavellian is a leader who, through his power and influence, works toward the common good of his people. This can be done through fear, through deceit, even through manipulation. It is important to understand the main principle of a Machiavellian; the end justifies the means. The end being the common good of his people. Vladimir Putin is a Machiavellian in the ways he retains power, institutes reform, and executes economic recovery domestically; and also in the ways he manages international affairs, such as the issues with Syria, Snowden, and the 2014 Winter Olympics.
When comparing the prime minister’s power in correlation to the political actors below them to that of a premier’s, it can be seen that they both hold relative strength. Yet, the prime minister has greater overall power compared to premiers and can take substantial steps to limiting their influence and ability. Both political figures assign their own cabinet members, and both hold considerable influence over their appointees. If they so choose to have a cabinet minister dismissed, it can be done effectively and efficiently. Both keep their members loyal and in fear of losing their positions should they not follow the leader’s interests, much like with former prime minister Stephen Harper’s Watergate esque “Enemy List”.
The Prime Minister of Canada has an integral role within the Canadian parliament. In the political Parliamentary system of Canada, the Prime Minister wields the executive responsibility. He is accountable for an assortment of administrative, managerial, and supervisory decisions in effect across the country. The executive role is the branch of government that is generally responsible for creating laws, and enforcing the regulations to ensure these laws are observed.
The growth of the Russian bureaucracy from the Imperial to Soviet era is overwhelming. According to Alekinskii, in 1897, 435,000 civilians worked for the public bureaucratic sector. This means for every 292 members of the populous there would be one public servant plied for representation (Alekinskii, 178). By 1897, the bureaucracy in Russia was no older than sixty years. Prior to the 1830s state bureaucrats did not truly exist; shortly thereafter, seniority dictated which workers would progress upwards in the public institutions in which he or she worked (John Le Dunne). This could be interpreted as the first sign of the development of bureaucracy in Imperial Russia. Russian bureaucracy, at least in the Soviet and Imperial sense, does not mimic the traditionally accepted Weberian notion of bureaucracy and bureaucratic development. Some scholars feel Russia could be portrayed as the true birthplace of a pure bureaucratic system. In other countries, such as the United States or Norway, the bureaucracy gained power slowly in an already stable political and social environment. This is not the case in Russia. According to Hollander, a major difference in the Imperial and Soviet bureaucracies from prescribed Western norms surrounds politicization (Hollander, 305). The bureaucracy developed through class oppression and political upheaval over centuries. It can be said that a truly stable political and social environment in Russia is only about twenty years old; in spite of this, the Russian bureaucracy existed and thrived for centuries prior to the social awakening.
The Russo-Chechen war that ended in 1996 should have given the Russian government a feel of things to come when they decided to attack in late September of last year. Triggered by security challenges to the State, Russia decided that the democracy would be in danger if they didn’t act. Russia was in a politically unstable situation right now with the resignation of Yeltsin, and the current Presidential elections looming. Also looming on the political horizon was the concern over rampant corruption in the government. If they had done nothing Yeltsin’s party would have stood to lose, yet Putin, (Yeltsin’s successor) succeeded in focusing the medias attention on the war rather that the domestic corruption.
Leading a nation is never an easy task; Leading the largest country on earth is undoubtedly harder. This weeks readings we dove into the political climate of Russia in the post Soviet Union era. Russia Turns the Page by Dmitri Elkin offers us a unique perspective into those very formative years of the Russian Federation. The book lets the reader better understand some of the success and struggles of the new nation.
The Russian democracy came about a half a century down the road. When communism ultimately fell in the Soviet Union, a popular figure under Gorbachev came into power under a fresh, democratic framework. His name was Boris Yeltsin. He put together a new constitution, based on the Constitution of France, that gave many formal powers to the executive branch. It allows for a dual executive; a president and a prime minister. The president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and is empowered to rule by decree in a state of emergency (Palmer 334). He is also tied into the bureaucracy with the power to nominate and remove other bureaucrats and department heads from office. He nominates a prime minister and must approve the Cabinet.