1. The legislature is represented by the Federal Assembly of Russia.
2. The judicial power is vested in courts and administered by the Ministry of Justice.
3. The President is the head of state and is elected by popular vote every six years for a maximum of two consecutive terms.
4. Government duties are split between a number of ministries.
5. The head of government, the prime minister, is appointed by the president and confirmed by the State Duma.
6. The government is housed in the so-called White House in Moscow.
7. Unlike the State Duma, the Council isn’t directly elected.
8. The 450 deputies are elected for terms of five years following constitutional amendments agreed by parliament late in 2008.
9. Half the seats used to be filled through proportional representation and the other half through single seat constituencies.
10. Once a bill is passed by a majority in the Duma, a draft law is sent back to the Federation Council.
11. The Constitutional Court is empowered to rule on whether or not laws or presidential decrees are constitutional.
12. The judges of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court are appointed by the parliament’s upper house, the Federation Council.
