The Russian Embassy in the Republic of Ireland

Article 94.
The Federal Assembly - Parliament of the Russian Federation - shall be the supreme representative and legislative body of the Russian Federation.

Article 95.
1. The Federal Assembly shall consist of two chambers -- the Federation Council and the State Duma.
2. Two deputies from each subject of the Federation shall be members of Federation Council: one from the representative and one from the executive bodies of state authority.
3. The State Duma shall consist of 450 deputies.

Article 96.
1. The State Duma shall be elected for a term of four years.
2. The procedure for forming the Federation Council and the procedure for electing deputies to the State Duma shall be established by federal law.

Article 97.
1. Any citizen of the Russian Federation aged 21 and older who has the right to take part in elections may be elected deputy to the State Duma.
2. One and the same person may not concurrently be a deputy to the Federation Council and to the State Duma. A deputy to the State Duma may not be a deputy to any other representative body of state power or bodies of local self-government.
3. The deputies to the State Duma shall work on a permanent professional basis. Deputies to the State Duma may not be employed in the civil service or engage in any activities for remuneration other than teaching, research or other creative activities.

Article 98.
1. Deputies to the Federation Council and deputies to the State Duma shall possess immunity throughout their term in office. A deputy may not be detained, arrested, searched except when detained in the act of perpetrating a crime, and may not be subject to personal search except when such search shall be authorized by law to ensure the safety of other people.
2. The question of stripping a deputy of immunity shall be decided on the recommendation of the Prosecutor-General of the Russian Federation by the corresponding chamber of the Federal Assembly.

Article 99.
1. The Federal Assembly shall be a permanent body.
2. The State Duma shall hold its first session on the 30th day after its election. The President of the Russian Federation may convene a session of the State Duma before this term.
3. The first session of the State Duma shall be opened by the oldest deputy.
4. From the start of the work of the new State Duma the powers of the previous State Duma shall cease.

Article 100.
1. The Federation Council and the State Duma shall sit separately. 2. The sessions of the Federation Council and the State Duma shall be open. Each chamber has the right to hold closed sessions as envisaged by its rules.
3. The chambers may have joint sessions to hear the addresses of the President of the Russian Federation, addresses of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation and speeches by leaders of foreign states.

Article 101.
1. The Federation Council shall elect from among its members the Chairman of the Federation Council and his deputies. The State Duma shall elect from among its members the Chairman of the State Duma and his deputies.
2. The Chairman of the Federation Council and his deputies, the Chairman of the State Duma and his deputies shall preside over the sessions and supervise the internal rules of the chamber.
3. The Federation Council and the State Duma shall form committees and commissions, exercise parliamentary supervision over issues within their jurisdiction and hold parliamentary hearings.
4. Each chamber shall adopt its own rules and solve questions of internal organization and work.
5. In order to exercise control over the federal budget the Federation Council and the State Duma shall form an Accounting Chamber, the membership and rules of order of which shall be determined by federal law.

Article 102.
1. The jurisdiction of the Federation Council shall include:
a) approval of changes of borders between the subjects of the Russian Federation;
b) approval of the decree of the President of the Russian Federation on the introduction of martial law;
c) approval of the decree of the President of the Russian Federation on the introduction of a state of emergency;
d) making decisions on the possibility of the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation outside the territory of the Russian Federation;
e) calling of elections of the President of the Russian Federation; f) impeachment of the President of the Russian Federation;
g) the appointment of judges of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, and the Supreme Court of Arbitration of the Russian Federation;
h) the appointment to office and the removal from office of the Prosecutor- General of the Russian Federation;
i) the appointment to office and removal from office of the deputy Chairman of the Accounting Chamber and half of its staff of its auditors.
2. The Federation Council shall pass resolutions on the issues within its jurisdiction under the Constitution of the Russian Federation.
3. The decrees of the Federation Council shall be adopted by a majority of all deputies to the Federation Council unless otherwise provided for by the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

Article 103.
1. The jurisdiction of the State Duma shall include:
a) granting consent to the President of the Russian Federation for the appointment of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation;
b) decisions on confidence in the government of the Russian Federation;
c) the appointment and dismissal of the Chairman of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation;
d) the appointment and dismissal of the Chairman of the Accounting Chamber and half of its staff of auditors;
e) the appointment and dismissal of the Plenipotentiary for Human Rights acting in accordance with the Federal Constitutional Law; f) granting amnesty;
g) bringing charges against the President of the Russian Federation for his impeachment.
2. The State Duma shall adopt resolutions on the issues of its jurisdiction envisaged by the Constitution of the Russian Federation.
3. The resolutions of the State Duma shall be adopted by a majority of votes of all deputies of the State Duma unless otherwise provided for by the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

Article 104.
1. The President of the Russian Federation, the Federation Council, the members to the Federation Council, the deputies to the State Duma, the Government of the Russian Federation and the legislative (representative) bodies of the subjects of the Russian Federation shall have the right of legislative initiative. The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation and the Supreme Court of Arbitration of the Russian Federation shall also have the right of legislative initiative within their jurisdiction.
2. Draft laws shall be introduced in the State Duma.
3. The draft laws on the introduction or abolishing of taxes, exemptions from the payment thereof, on the issue of state loans, on changes in the financial obligations of the state and other draft laws providing for expenditures covered from the federal budget may be introduced to the State Duma only with a corresponding resolution by the Government of the Russian Federation.

Article 105.
1. Federal laws shall be passed by the State Duma.
2. Federal laws shall be passed by a majority of votes of all deputies of the State Duma unless otherwise provided for by the Constitution of the Russian Federation.
3. Laws adopted by the State Duma shall be passed to the Federation Council for review within five days.
4. A federal law shall be considered passed by the Federation Council if more than half of its deputies vote for it or if within fourteen days it has not been considered by the Federation Council. In the event the Federation Council shall reject the federal law, the chambers may set up a conciliatory commission to settle the differences, whereupon the federal law shall again be considered by the State Duma.
5. In the event the State Duma shall disagree with the decision of the Federation Council, the federal law shall be considered adopted if, in the second voting, at least two-thirds of the total number of deputies to the State Duma vote for it.

Article 106.
The federal laws adopted by the State Duma shall be considered by the Federation Council on a mandatory basis if such laws deal with the issues of:
a) the federal budget;
b) federal taxes and levies;
c) financial, monetary, credit and customs regulations and money emission;
d) ratification and denunciation of international treaties of the Russian Federation;
e) the status and protection of the state border of the Russian Federation;
f) war and peace.

Article 107. 1. An adopted federal law shall be sent to the President of the Russian Federation for signing and publication within five days. 2. The President of the Russian Federation shall, within fourteen days, sign a federal law and publish it.
3. If the President rejects a federal law within fourteen days since it was sent to him, the State Duma and the Federation Council shall again consider the law in accordance with the procedure established by the Constitution of the Russian Federation. If, during the second hearings, the federal law shall be approved in its earlier draft by a majority of not less than two thirds of the total number of deputies of the Federation Council and the State Duma, it shall be signed by the President of the Russian Federation within seven days and published.

Article 108. 1. Federal constitutional laws shall be passed on issues specified in the Constitution of the Russian Federation.
2. A federal constitutional law shall be considered adopted, if it has been approved by a majority of at least three quarters of the total number of deputies of the Federation Council and at least two thirds of the total number of deputies of the State Duma. The adopted federal constitutional law shall be signed by the President of the Russian Federation within fourteen days and published.

Article 109.
1. The State Duma may be dissolved by the President of the Russian Federation in cases stipulated in Articles 111 and 117 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation.
2. In the event of the dissolution of the State Duma, the President of the Russian Federation shall determine the date of elections so that the newly- elected State Duma shall convene not later than four months since the time of dissolution.
3. The State Duma may not be dissolved on grounds provided for by Article 117 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation within one year after its election.
4. The State Duma may not be dissolved since the time it has brought accusations against the President of the Russian Federation and until a corresponding decision has been taken by the Federation Council.
5. The State Duma may not be dissolved during the period of the state of emergency or martial law throughout the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as within six months of the expiry of the term of office of the President of the Russian Federation.

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