Elections
Unlike the State Duma and the provincial legislatures throughout Russia, the Council is not directly elected, but instead chosen by territorial politicians, resembling in some respects to the structure of the U.S. Senate prior to the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913. The only exclusion was the first Federation council (1994-1996), which was elected on December 12, 1993.
According to Article 95, the Council comprises representatives of each Russian federal subject—two from each. One senator is elected by the provincial legislature, the other is nominated by the provincial governor and confirmed by the legislature. Prior to 2000, all provincial governors and heads of provincial legislatures sat in the Council ex officio while continuing to hold their territorial offices at the same time. Upon President Putin’s ascension to the Russian presidency, this practice was discontinued under pressure from the Kremlin, forbidding governors to hold dual posts.
Terms to the Council are also not nationally fixed, due to the continuing territorial nature of the upper house. Terms instead are determined according to the regional bodies they represent.
The Federation Council of the transitional period (1993-1995) was formed by direct elections in the regions, each of which constituted a two-member district. Its composition was rather diverse: heads of regional executives (59) and legislatures (15) composed less than 45% of the house. Four out of every ten deputies were former Soviet or Russian people's deputies. There were also those who worked on a professional basis (i.e., not regional chiefs). At that time, the work styles of the Duma and the Federation Council were rather similar. Federation Council Deputies were much more politicized than now, there were lots of discussions and public voting. Some attempts were made especially by leftists to form factions, but all failed due to insufficient numbers.
Before the first Federation Council finished its work in 1995, a new system for electing Federation Council members was devised. The State Duma promised its support in exchange for the Council backing for a mixed system of representation for the Duma. The Duma then reversed its position in autumn 1995, fearing the cancellation of Duma elections, and accepted the scheme supported by the president. According to this plan, heads of regional executive and legislative power automatically become members of the Federation Council. The Duma insisted, however, that governors should no longer be appointed by the president, but rather must be directly elected in their regions by the end of 1996.
In 2001–2004 regional bodies were able to recall their senator by the same procedure as they've appointed him or her. Such recalls once occurred quite often. But a new law passed in December 2004 required that a recall procedure must be first initiated by the chairman of Federation Council. The procedure hasn't been implemented since.
Read more about this topic: Federation Council (Russia)
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