Constitution of the Russian Federation

The 1993 constitution creating a strong presidency after crisis.

Overview

Adopted by referendum in December 1993 following President Yeltsins dissolution of parliament and the armed standoff that autumn, the Russian Constitution established a strongly presidential system. It created a Federation Council and State Duma, a Constitutional Court, and extensive presidential decree powers. Its Article 2 declares the human being the highest value, and it embeds social guarantees. The 2020 amendments reset presidential term counts, prioritized the constitution over some international rulings, and banned same sex marriage, among other changes approved in a nationwide vote. It remains formally supreme though its constraint on executive power is widely questioned.