The Russian Constitution was adopted by national referendum

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th December, 2018) Russia on Wednesday marks 25 years since the adoption of its Constitution.

The Russian Constitution was adopted by national referendum on December 12, 1993, by direct popular vote. On September 19, 1994, then President Boris Yeltsin signed an executive order proclaiming December 12 a national holiday.

The current Russian constitution was drafted and adopted against the background of confrontation between the executive and legislative branches. The authorities drafted several versions of the Constitution, including the version prepared by the constitutional commission of Russia's Supreme Council and the one drafted by a constitutional conference convened by Yeltsin.

The version prepared by the constitutional conference, which contained many provisions proposed by the constitutional commission, served as a basis during the finalization of the draft constitution, involving Russian lawmakers, experts and working groups.

Russia held a nationwide constitutional referendum on December 12, 1993. Some 58 million people voted in the referendum, with 33 million of them voting in favor of the constitution. The Constitution officially entered into force on December 25, 1993.

The new Constitution stipulated the principle of separation of the three powers - legislative, executive and judicial.

"The Constitution of the Russian Federation shall have the supreme juridical force, direct action and shall be used on the whole territory of the Russian Federation. Laws and other legal acts adopted in the Russian Federation shall not contradict the Constitution of the Russian Federation," the Constitution reads.

Unlike previous documents, the Constitution recognizes and gives equal protection to all forms of ownership, laying the groundwork for the development of civil society.

The Constitution says that the state power in Russia should be exercised by the president the Federal Assembly (the Federation Council and the State Duma), the government and courts. The Article 82 of the Constitution contains the text of the presidential oath.

A special red leather-bound copy of the Russian Constitution was made, which is kept at a Kremlin library and is used during the presidential inauguration ceremonies. However, the use of the special copy is not ordered by law. Starting from 2000, a Russian president may take the oath of office placing his hand on any edition of the Fundamental Law.

In 1996-2008, the Constitution was amended several times as new regions were included into the country.

In 2009, the amended Russian Fundamental Law extended the term of the president from four years to six. Similarly, the term of members of the lower house of the Russian parliament was extended from four years to five.

In 2014, the Constitution was amended after the merger of the national Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of Arbitration and after Crimea and Sevastopol rejoined Russia.

Constitution Day is public holiday of Russia celebrated on December 12. It was a day off until 2005, when the government made it a working holiday.