Gudkov was first elected to the
State Duma in a by-election of the Kolomna 106th District on 18 March 2001, joining the
People's Party of the Russian Federation. He blamed the failure of security forces to prevent the attack on a systematic destruction of state security institutions following the fall of the Soviet Union. Following the
2004 Nazran raid, in which Chechen rebels killed 90 people at police facilities in
Ingushetia, Gudkov supported President Vladimir Putin's firings of top military officials, stating, "[t]he general staff made serious mistakes regarding the military structures' actions in Chechnya." He stated that "This will go on until we ourselves learn how to prevent terrorist acts, until we learn how to carry out effective operations to destroy terrorists" and called for better pay for security forces to attract better quality personnel and prevent corruption, stating that the latter may have contributed to the
Beslan school hostage crisis. He also supported a law allowing undercover security officers to commit illegal acts such as buying guns or drugs in the course of their duties.
Opposition to Putin In March 2004, following a weak performance by the People's Party in the recent legislative elections, Gudkov succeeded as chairman of the party. Gudkov later became a member of Putin's
United Russia party, In September of that year, he criticized a bill supported by United Russia allowing
Gazprom,
Transneft, and other corporations to train and arm private security forces, calling it a
Pandora's box. In October, he complained that United Russia "will not allow opponents" and that Russia was becoming a
one-party state, and in December 2008, he sought to amend and clarify a Duma bill greatly expanding the definition of treason. In March 2009, he criticized legislation by
Dmitry Medvedev to ban political parties with less than a 7% nationwide vote from parliament, saying that "only an incorrigible optimist could consider that a pro-democracy move". In October 2011, Gudkov said that due to lack of free debate, "a huge negative energy among the public ready to explode any moment". He aligned himself with the "swamp opposition" (), which held anti-Putin sentiments. Over the next year, Gudkov became a frequent participant and leader in public
protests against Putin. In June, Gudkov's son
Dmitry Gudkov, also a Duma deputy, led a
filibuster against a bill allowing large fines for anti-government protesters. Gennady Gudkov also spoke against the bill, stating that by removing outlets for protest, the legislation was putting Russia on "a sure path to a civil war".
The Economist described the filibuster as "the most striking act of parliamentary defiance in the Putin era". ==Expulsion from Duma and emigration==