Title: The Constitution, Power and the People. Russia in the 1990s—Early 2000s
Abstract: The Constitution of the Russian Federation was adopted in an all-national vote on
December 12, 1993 and that very day came into effect. Since then not much time
has passed by the measure of the history of the and civil society. Yet it
is not such short time if one compares it with the average life expectancy in
Russia (65.3 years) and especially the interval between generations (25-30
years). So, the 15th anniversary of the Main Law of the State is fitting
occasion for assessing its real significance in the life of Russian society. ... The opinion often voiced during the course of scientific discussions and political
debates holds that the current Russian Constitution needs to be amended. It may
be true from the political and legal points of view. Questions do arise over
the interpretation of some constitutional provisions, including, for example,
the fact that the concept of a republic within the is
interpreted as a state (Article 5 of the Constitution of the RF).
Yet on the whole the Main Law essentially offers wide opportunities for
improving control of social processes, the formation of civil society and
the development of civic properties of personality. ... A great achievement is that the main law includes the fundamental principle
which recognizes the individual, his rights and freedoms as the supreme value.
It is hard to overestimate the constitutional provisions that define the state
as law-governed, social and secular. Finally the supreme regulatory act
spells out the rights and freedoms of man and citizen, including
equality of all before the law and the court, protection of motherhood and
childhood, the right to healthcare, education and many others. ... The Constitution of the RF reflects the social changes that took place in Russia in
the late 1980s and early 1990s and has undoubtedly given an impetus to the
development of the system of human rights and freedoms. Opinion polls show that
over the years of reform and to no small degree due to the new constitutional
norms the mass consciousness in Russia has shed many ideological taboos, has
become less politicized and more tolerant, for example, in assessing ... V. Boykov, D. Sc. (Philosophy),
professor, Director of the Sociology Center, Russian Civil Service Academy
under the President of the Russian Federation. The article was first published
in Russian in the journal Sotsiologicheskiye issledovaniya (SOTSIS), No.
1, 2009. ... private entrepreneurship. Another important indicator of positive changes in society is
that while at the turn of the century there was widespread expectation of an
inevitable political and social catastrophe (expectations that were not
entirely groundless), today, selective opinion polls show that social anxiety
is receding giving way to guarded optimism. That means that within very
short space of time large sections of the population, especially among young
people, have adapted themselves to the new living conditions. ... Other well-known facts may be noted: 15 years ago there was fierce confrontation
between the country's supreme governing bodies and the regional elites over the
distribution of power in general and in particular over the share of the
government pie, property and financial resources, which created economic
borders between regions and fragmented Russian society. Today, the
restored order of the constitutional-legal regulation of relations between
federal and regional legislation has largely overcome that confrontation and a
common economic space is being formed. ... Finally, before the Constitution was adopted Russian society was rocked by the running
feud for redistribution of powers between the institution of the Presidency and
the legislative power. At present there is not trace of such confrontation.
True, the cohesion of the legislative and executive branches raises host of
questions and, in its present shape, is hardly conducive to genuine
parliamentarism. The State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov said famously that parliament
is not place for political discussions. That principle has
apparently been taken on board by the present State Duma. ... At present, the problem of optimizing constitutional regulation of Russian society
lies not so much in the legal content of constitutional norms as in
implementing them in the practical relations between the and its bodies,
on the one hand, and the citizens, the civil society, on the other. This aspect
of the functioning of the constitutional law presents interest from the point
of view of sociology. We are talking about the need for government itself to
abide by the constitutional norms in the day-to-day government practice and the
fostering of the attitude of the citizens to the as whole and to the
fulfillment of their civic duties: to pay taxes, conserve nature, defend their
country, etc. ... An indispensable condition of compliance with the basic principles of the state's
attitude to man and civil society and, on the other hand, of citizens as
individuals to the is certain level of constitutional legal
consciousness in society.
Publication Year: 2009
Publication Date: 2009-09-30
Language: en
Type: article
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