President of Russia

President of the Russian Federation
Official Standard
Incumbent Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin since December 31 1999
Term length	Four years, renewable once
Formation	July 10 1991
Website	Template:Ru icon kremlin.ru/ Template:En icon kremlin.ru/eng/

The President of Russia (Template:Lang-ru) (before December 25 1991: Template:Lang-ru) is the Head of State and highest office within the Government of Russia. Executive power is split between the President and the Prime Minister, who is the Head of Government. The office was instituted in 1991 as the head of RSFSR according to the results of the referendum held on March 171991.

The first and only President of RSFSR was Boris Yeltsin - he was elected on June 121991 by a direct popular vote and came into power on July 101991 for a five-year term. Since December 25 1991 with reorganization of RSFSR into independent Russian Federation he became the first President of Russian Federation. According to the Constitution of Russia accepted in 1993, the president is elected every four years by a direct vote of the Russian population. The second and current President of Russia is Vladimir Putin. The third (future) President of Russia is Dmitry Medvedev - he was elected by popular vote on 2 March 2008.

Requirements to hold office

According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, a person willing to run for presidency has to be a citizen of Russia not younger than 35, who has permanently resided in the Russian Federation for not less than 10 years.

The Constitution of Russia also restricts the period during which a person can hold the office of the President to two consecutive terms. There is, however, nothing to prevent a former President (including one who has served two full terms) from seeking re-election for a further period provided someone else has held the office in between.

Rights and duties

The President is the head of state and his main task is to preserve and protect the rights and liberties of the Russian people, which are granted under the Constitution of Russia. The President is tasked to determine the domestic and foreign policy of the Russian government. The President is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The President is also charged in awarding of state decorations, resolves problems on issues in immigration and has the power to grant pardons. The president's rights and duties are defined in the chapter 4 of the Constitution.

Insignia

After the oath of office has been taken by the elected president, these following insignia are handed over to the president. These devices are used to display the rank of his office and are used on special occasions.

Chain of office

The first insignia that is issued is the chain of office with an emblem. The central emblem is a red cross, with arms in equal size, charged with the Russian coat of arms. On the reverse of the cross, the words "Benefit, Honor and Glory" (Russian: «Польза, честь и слава»; "Pol’za, chest’ i slava") appear in a form of a circle. A golden wreath is used to connect the cross with the rest of the chain. There are seventeen "links" in the emblem, with nine consisting of the Russian coat of arms. The other eight consist of a rosette, also bearing the motto "Benefit, Honor and Glory." At the inauguration of Vladimir Putin, the emblem was placed on a red pillow, positioned on the left side of podium. According to the Presidential website, the emblem is placed inside the Kremlin and is used only on certain occasions.

Standard (Flag)

File:Moscow Kremlin 2.jpg

The Kremlin in Moscow, the official residence of the President of Russia.

The standard is a square version of the Russian flag, (pictured below) charged in the center with the Russian coat of arms. Golden fringe is added to the standard. Copies of the standard are used inside his office, at the Kremlin, other state agencies, and while the president is traveling in a vehicle inside Russia. A 2:3 ratio version of the flag is used when the President is at sea. This is the mostly used symbol to denote the presence of the Russian President.

Special Copy of the Constitution

The President also has a special copy of the Russian Constitution that is used during the inauguration. This copy has a hard, red cover with gold lettering. An image of the Russian coat of arms appears in silver. The special copy is kept in the Presidential Library, which is located inside the Kremlin.

Legal Basis of the Insignia

These insignia and the procedure were established by the presidential decree No. 1138 from August 5, 1996. and modified by decree No. 832 from May 6, 2000. In the new decree the special copy of the Constitution was removed as the third symbol of the Russian Presidency; the other two symbols remained intact because they were and are regulated by separate decrees. Nonetheless, the special copy of the Constitution still exists and serves for inauguration purposes only without being officially presented as a symbol of the Russian Presidency.

• 
  Chain of office
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  Standard

Oath of Office

Each person who has been elected to this office takes this oath during their inauguration:

I vow, in the performance of my powers as the President of the Russian Federation to respect and protect the rights and freedoms of man and citizen, to observe and protect the Constitution of the Russian Federation, to protect the sovereignty and independence, security and integrity of the state and to serve the people faithfully.

Political affiliation

Though technically the President of Russia may be a member of a political party, traditionally the Presidents is Nonpartisan and without political affiliation. He does support a specific party during parliamentary elections in order to promote his agendas and goals. He tends to be above the political spectrum and to act as a statesmen, who reconcile and balance between the various political groups while not identifying with any one of them particularly.

Transport

Transport services for the Russian President is provided by the Special Purpose Garage (SPG). The SPG is a unit within the Federal Protective Service.

Land

Currently, the SPG is equipped with Mercedes, Chevrolet and ZIL cars. BMW and Ural motorcycles are also used in honorary escort.

List of Presidents of the Russian Federation (1991-Present)

Index Key
No party / Independent
United Russia
Communist Russia
Liberal Democratic
Fair Russia
Democratic Russia †
Our Home is Russia †
Communist Soviet Union †
* - As President of RSFSR ** - 5 years term † - Former existing major parties

#	President		Took office	Left office	Political Party	Term
01	Boris Yeltsin		July 10 1991* (inaugurated)	December 25 1991*	No party / Independent (officially supported by Democratic Russia)	1**
			December 25 1991	August 9 1996
			August 9 1996 (inaugurated)	November 5 1996 (went to surgical procedure)	No party / Independent	2
—	Viktor Chernomyrdin (Acting)		November 5 1996	November 6 1996	Our Home is Russia	2
01	Boris Yeltsin		November 6 1996 (returned from surgical procedure)	December 31 1999 (voluntary retired)	No party / Independent	2
—	Vladimir Putin (Acting)		December 31 1999	May 7 2000	No party / Independent	2
02	Vladimir Putin		May 7 2000 (inaugurated)	May 7 2004		3
			May 7 2004 (inaugurated)	Incumbent (Term expires May 7 2008)		4
03	Dmitry Medvedev (President-elect)		(Term starts May 7 2008)	—	No party / Independent (officially supported by United Russia)	5

Notes

• Aleksandr Rutskoy acted "in opposition" during the Russian constitutional crisis of 1993 from 22 September 1993 until 4 October 1993.
• As Prime Minister, Viktor Chernomyrdin was the Acting president during Yeltsin's illness from 5 November 1996 until 6 November 1996.
• As Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin was the Acting president following Yeltsin's resignation on 31 December 1999 until being inaugurated on 7 May 2000 (elected by popular vote on 26 March 2000).

See also

• Russian presidential administration
• List of leaders of Russia

External links

• Official site of the President of Russia
• The Constitution of Russian federation (1993) (in English)