Federation Council (Russia) - Powers

Powers

As the upper house of the Federal Assembly, the Federation Council is viewed as a more formal chamber than the lower house State Duma. Because of its federalist design, as well as its voting franchise strictly limited to provincial elites, the Council is viewed as less volatile to radical changes.

The Council is charged in cooperating with the State Duma in completing and voting on draft laws. Federal laws concerning budgets, customs regulations, credit monitoring, and the ratification of international treaties are to be considered by the Council after they have been adopted from the State Duma, where most legislation is introduced.

Special powers that accorded only to the Federation Council are:

• Approval of changes in borders between the subjects of the Russian Federation;
• Approval of a decree of the President of the Russian Federation on the introduction of martial law;
• Approval of a decree of the President of the Russian Federation on the introduction of a state of emergency;
• Deciding on the possibility of using the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation outside the territory of the Russian Federation;
• Declaring of elections of the President of the Russian Federation;
• Impeachment of the President of the Russian Federation;
• approving the president's nomination of judges of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation;
• approving the president's nomination of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation;
• Appointment of Deputy Chairman and half of the auditors of the Accounting Chamber.

For laws to pass the Federation Council, a vote of more than half of its 166 senators is required. When considering federal constitutional laws, three-fourths of the Council’s votes are required for passage. If the Council vetoes a law passed by the State Duma, the two chambers are mandated to form a Conciliation Committee in order to form a compromise document, which would again go under vote by both houses. The Federation Council's veto can be overcome by two-thirds majority in the Duma.

Federal laws on issues concerning federal budget of Russia, federal taxes and duties, financial, currency, credit and customs regulation, money emission, ratification and denonsiation of international treaties of the Russian Federation, status and defence of the state border of the Russian Federation, war and peace issues should be considered by the Council only after they had been adopted by the State Duma.