Legislation
The key legislation governing the formation and registration of political parties in Russia is the Federal Law "On political parties" of 11 July 2001, No.95. This law defined a political party as an organization that consistently takes part in elections, has a membership of at least 10,000 and branches in at least 50 regions, with each branch having a membership of at least 100. An amended version of the law which came into force at the beginning of January 2006 requires each political party to have a minimum of 50,000 members and more than 45 regional branches with a minimum membership of 500 each. In the discussion on amending the law on parties, the question of state funding was also raised. Before the 2004 amendments, electoral associations were entitled to modest compensation of their campaign expenses. The previous party law envisaged permanent state funding for parties that obtained at least 3% of the list vote in Duma elections or had at least single-member district candidates elected.
On early 2012 in response to the protests that came following the 2011 State Duma elections, President Dmitry Medvedev initiated a bill that rolls back some of the more stringent restrictions. It reduced the number of members required for registration from 40,000 to 500, lessens the restrictions on party activities, and shortens the registration process itself. Supporters of the bill maintained that the bill represents a drastic democratization of the country's election laws. After approved by the two houses of the Federal Assembly of Russia, it was signed into law by President Medvedev in early May.
Read more about this topic: Political Parties In Russia
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