ABSTRACT
Men are in public life as in private, some good, some evil. The elevation of the one, and the depression of the other, are the first objects of all true policy. The 1993 constitution inaugurated a new period in the development of Russian parliamentarism. Yeltsin’s strategy for a ‘controllable democracy’ in Russia was only partially successful. The new legislature, in contrast to the old Supreme Soviet, is clearly now the junior partner, but fears that it would be a ‘pocket’ parliament is true but exaggerated. The Duma plays a critical role in Russian politics. Its political composition matters, hence the intensity of the competition in parliamentary elections. After 1993 Russia for the first time was able to create a genuine parliament. Virtually all deputies have completed higher education and work in parliament on a full-time basis.
