Russia's Draft Constitutions: How Democratic Are They?


 

Publication Date: June 1993

Publisher: Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): Ariel Cohen

Research Area: Politics

Keywords: Russia and Eurasia

Type: Report

Coverage: Russia (Federation)

Abstract:

The battle between Yeltsin and the Congress is now being waged over competing visions for Russia's new constitution. The hard-liners in the Congress support the constitution inherited from the Soviet era, a cumbersome and confusing document which was never intended to be the basis for a democratic state. Meanwhile, Yeltsin wants a new constitution that will abolish the remaining Soviet institutions and establish a constitutional basis for a stable democracy.