Creating a Unified System of Public Authority in the Russian Federation: Status and Outlook

The constitutional reform of 2020 introduced a ‘unified system of public authority’ category to constitutional law. The category has already served as the basis for a number of legislative acts, including the federal laws ‘On the State Council of the Russian Federation’ and ‘On the General Principles of the Organization of Public Power in the Constituent Entities of the Russian Federation’. Legislation regulating the organization of local government will soon be updated as well. The speed with which the legislative changes governing the organization of public power in Russia have been implemented, however, demand reflection on the ongoing reforms, both conceptually and practically. Does the ‘public authority’ category differ fundamentally from that of ‘state power’? What constitutional and legal aspects govern interaction between the different levels of public authority? Is the current reform driving a qualitative transformation of federal relations in Russia? What role does local self-government play in the unified system of public power? Should any changes be made to the approaches taken to the legislative regulation of the unified system of public power?