Constitution of Russia

The Constitution of the Russian Federation was adopted by national referendum on 12 December 1993 and formally enacted on 25 December 1993, replacing the Soviet-era 1978 constitution of the Russian SFSR and establishing Russia as a federal semi-presidential republic in which the presidency holds extensive power over the executive, legislative and judicial branches. The government comprises the presidency, a bicameral Federal Assembly made up of the State Duma and Federation Council, and an independent judiciary. A set of amendments approved by a nationwide vote between 25 June and 1 July 2020, with 78 percent in favor, removed the restriction limiting a president to two consecutive terms, declared Russia the legal successor to the Soviet Union for international treaties and assets, prohibited the cession of Russian territory, added constitutional references to God and a definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman, and recognized the Russian language's role among the country's state-forming people; the amendments were signed into law on 3 July 2020 and took effect the following day.