Paper On Iran And/or Russia: How A Legislature Can Be Controlled By An Authoritarian Regime

Legislature in Authoritarian Countries Name Institutional affiliation Legislature in Authoritarian Countries Introduction The legislature is the arm of the government whose primary role is to make laws on behalf of the people. In democratic and authoritariansystems alike, the legislatures also play the part ofrepresentation of people or regions and recruiting occupants of high offices within the nation. Even the most authoritarian states like China, Russia, North Korea and Iran retain legislatures even if those legislatures have little real political authority. The legislature in authoritarian systems helps to stabilize the regime by providing an illusion of separation of power. Structure of the Russian legislature The Russian parliament, commonly known as the Federal Assembly of Russia is a bicameral legislature. The lower house is known as the State Duma, while the upper house is the Federation Council. Duma has 450 seats. Its members are elected to four year terms by the people. The first Duma of the Russian Empire was created by TsarNicholas II 1906 following the Russian Revolution of 1905. The revolution was a period of social unrestcaused by the lack of an opportunity to be heard by their leaders. Violent attempts by the state to suppress the opposition to the