The government of Russia is the federal executive body of state power of the Russian Federation. The members of the government are the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers, and the federal ministers. It has its legal basis in the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the federal constitutional law "On the Government of the Russian Federation". The Apparatus of the Government of Russia is a governmental body which administrates the activities of the government. According to the 1991 amendment to the 1978 constitution, the President of Russia was the head of the executive branch and headed the Council of Ministers of Russia. According to the current 1993 constitution, the president is not a part of the government of Russia, which exercises executive power. However, the president appoints the prime minister.

History

The large body was preceded by the government of the Soviet Union. The government's structure has undergone several significant changes since the Russian Federation emerged from 1991 to 1992. In the initial years, many government bodies, primarily the different ministries, underwent massive reorganization as the old Soviet governing networks were adapted to the new state. Many reshuffles and renamings occurred. On 28 November 1991, the President of the RSFSR Boris Yeltsin signed presidential decree No.242 "On the reorganization of the government bodies of the RSFSR". Yeltsin officially declared the end of the Soviet Union and became the President of the Russian Federation. Yeltsin was a reformer and promised Western-styled democracy. The new Russian Constitution was adopted in 1993. It gained legitimacy through its bicameral legislature, an independent judiciary, the position of the president and the prime minister, and democratic features. These democratic features included competitive multi-party elections, separation of powers, federalism, and protection of civil liberties. In 1999, Yeltsin appointed Vladimir Putin the Prime Minister. Later that year, Yeltsin resigned from the presidency, and Putin took over as the acting president. In its first round, Putin won the 2000 Russian presidential election, gaining 53.44% of the vote. The most recent change took place on 14 May 2024, when President Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree on forming Mikhail Mishustin's Second Cabinet.

Responsibilities and power

The Government is the subject of the 6th chapter of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. According to the constitution, the government of the Russian Federation must: The government issues its acts in the way of decisions (Постановления) and orders (Распоряжения). These must not contradict the constitution, federal constitutional laws, federal laws, and Presidential decrees, and are signed by the Prime Minister. The Government also assists the Prime Minister in faithfully carrying out the country's domestic and foreign policy as determined by the President.

Current Cabinet

Lists of ministers

• List of prime ministers • List of first deputy prime ministers • List of deputy prime ministers • List of defence ministers • List of economy ministers • List of finance ministers • List of justice ministers • List of foreign ministers • List of interior ministers • List of emergency ministers • List of health ministers • List of culture ministers • List of energy ministers • List of environmental ministers