30 years of Constitutional Law. Russia celebrates Constitution Day

On December 12, 1993, a popular vote took place to adopt a new Constitution. More than 58 million Russians participated, or 54.8% of registered voters. Almost 33 million voters (58.4%) voted “yes”. The Constitution came into force on December 25 of the same year, the day of its official publication. On September 19, 1994, the day of the adoption of the Constitution, December 12 was declared a public holiday. For 12 years, Constitution Day has been a holiday. Since 2005, it has become an ordinary working day, but it has retained its significance - a memorable date.

The Basic Law of the Russian Federation, compared with the previous Soviet Constitution, significantly changed the structure of the highest bodies of state power. The new Constitution enshrines the principle of separation of powers and takes a serious step toward improving the federal structure. The Constitution does not establish a single economic system based on state ownership; it equally protects all forms of property, ensuring the development of civil society.

Since 1996, changes have been made to the Constitution related to the consolidation of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and changes in their names. In 2009, changes were associated with an increase in the terms of office of the President and the State Duma of the Russian Federation, and in 2014 - in connection with the merger of the Supreme and Higher Arbitration Courts, the adoption of Crimea into the Russian Federation, etc. In 2020, the adoption of amendments to the Constitution was put to a referendum. Voting took place from June 25 to July 1, and the amendments were supported by 77.92% of voters (almost 58 million Russians). The key amendments of 2020 concern social issues. They guarantee the protection of the dignity of citizens and respect for working people, indexation of pensions at least once a year, and ensure the implementation of social partnership principles in labor relations. The Basic Law enshrines the right of citizens to affordable and high-quality medicine, the priority of the Constitution over international law. In 2022, the text of the Constitution was changed in connection with the admission of new regions to the Russian Federation.

Congratulating the residents of Bashkiria on the 30th anniversary of the country's Constitution, Chairman of the State Assembly of the Republic Konstantin Tolkachev emphasized that the past years have convincingly proven that it is the Constitution that serves as a solid foundation for civil peace and harmony, the key to confident movement forward.

Earlier, Bashinform News Agency reported that Prime Minister of the Government of Bashkiria Andrey Nazarov spoke about the importance of the Constitution in socio-political life and development. He called the Constitutional Law a document reflecting traditions and spiritual and moral ideals. According to Andrey Nazarov, the Constitution plays a crucial role in consolidating the country in conditions of unprecedented foreign policy and sanctions pressure, determines the priority of Russian law over international law, and protects our ideals and values.

Author: Roman Yakimchuk