The division of parliament into two houses is practiced in states with a highly developed political system. In the Russian Federation, there are also two chambers of parliament, each of which has its own special name and purpose.
The bicameral parliament is the supreme legislative body of the state, responsible for initiating, developing and adopting draft laws, as well as for introducing amendments and additions to existing regulatory legal acts, if necessary.
Upper House of Parliament in the Russian Federation
In the Russian Federation, as in many developed states, two chambers of parliament operate simultaneously, which are commonly called lower and upper. In accordance with these conditional names, the separation of functions of these authorities is carried out. So, the lower house is mainly engaged in the initiation and development of bills, and the upper one in their coordination and approval. Meetings of the upper house of the Russian parliament are usually held at least twice a month, but if necessary, they can also be convened more often.
The upper house in the Russian Federation is called the Council of the Federation. Moreover, the difference between the Federation Council and the lower house of parliament is not limited to the difference in their functions. In addition, they differ among themselves in the way of formation. As its name implies, the Federation Council is called upon to provide the subjects of the Federation with the opportunity to represent their interests. Such an opportunity is achieved through the inclusion of two representatives from each region of Russia in the Federation Council.
Thus, the total number of members of this structure is 170, since the number of constituent entities of the Russian Federation today has reached 85. Due to the nature of its composition, the Federation Council is sometimes unofficially referred to as the Chamber of Regions, however, in all regulatory legal acts in force in our country, the official name of this authority applies.
