After the
Perestroika reforms in the 1980s Russia had over 100 registered
parties, but the people elected to the State Duma represented only a small number of parties. After 2000, during
Vladimir Putin's first presidency (2000–2008), the number of parties quickly decreased. From 2008 to 2012 there were only seven parties in Russia, and every new attempt to register new parties was blocked. The last registered party of this period was the government-organized
Right Cause (now the Party of Growth) which was registered on 18 February 2009. Before the
2011 parliamentary election, about 10 opposition parties were denied registration. In 2001, the federal law "On political parties" was adopted. All parties had to be re-registered. Parties have been assigned the status of the only type of public association that has the right to independently nominate candidates for deputies and other elective positions in government bodies. One of the major provisions of the law is the establishment of a single national status of a political party, and, as a result, the liquidation of regional and interregional political public associations. In December 2004, amendments were introduced requiring a minimum number of party members of 50,000 and the presence of more than 45 regional branches of 500 people each. By January 1, 2006, all parties had to submit documents proving that their party structures complied with the requirements of the law on the minimum number of members and the number of regional branches. In 2009, a bill was introduced to reduce the minimum number of party members from 50,000 to 45,000, and from 500 to 450 members in regional branches. This law came into effect on January 1, 2010. The minimum number of party members was reduced again on January 1, 2012, to 40,000 and to 400 members per regional branch. On February 28, 2012, an election law was adopted meaning parties were exempted from collecting signatures and making a cash deposit for nominating a party and its candidate, and gubernatorial elections were restored. The number of required signatures for candidates for the presidential elections was reduced from 2 million to 100,000 for party candidates, and 300,000 for self-nominated candidates. The electoral threshold for parties was also reduced from 7% to 5%. On March 20, 2012, the State Duma approved a presidential bill to reduce the minimum number of political party members from 40,000 to only 500 people, and from 500 to 5 members for a regional branch. However, after a
series of mass protests and a 2011
European Court decision on the case of the
Republican Party of Russia (now the People's Freedom Party), the law changed and the number of registered parties quickly increased to more than 48 .
Party of Power A "
party of power" refers to a
political party that has a close relationship with the
executive branch of government such that the party appears to function as an extension of the executive rather than as an autonomous political organization. The concept resembles that of a
cartel party. These parties are considered by some to have been especially established for support of the incumbent
president or
prime minister in the
Russian parliament: •
Inter-regional Deputies Group/
Democratic Russia (1990–1993,
Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union/
Congress of People's Deputies of Russia/
Supreme Soviet of Russia) •
Democratic Choice of Russia (1993–1994) •
Our Home – Russia (1995–1999) •
Unity (1999–2001/2003) •
A Just Russia - For Truth (the second "party of power", supporting
Vladimir Putin and opposing
United Russia) •
United Russia (2001–present) == Voter demographics ==