Editing Politics of Russia (section)

==Local and regional government==
{{Main|Political divisions of Russia}}

In the Soviet period, some of Russia's approximately 100 nationalities were granted their own ethnic enclaves, to which varying formal federal rights were attached. Other smaller or more dispersed nationalities did not receive such recognition. In most of these enclaves, ethnic Russians constituted a majority of the population, although the titular nationalities usually enjoyed disproportionate representation in local government bodies. Relations between the central government and the subordinate jurisdictions, and among those jurisdictions, became a political issue in the 1990s.

The Russian Federation has made few changes in the Soviet pattern of regional jurisdictions. The 1993 constitution establishes a federal government and enumerates eighty-nine subnational jurisdictions, including twenty-one ethnic enclaves with the status of republics. There are ten autonomous regions, or okruga (sing., okrug ), and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast (Yevreyskaya avtonomnaya oblast', also known as Birobidzhan). Besides the ethnically identified jurisdictions, there are six territories (kraya; sing., kray ) and forty-nine oblasts (provinces).

The cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg are independent of surrounding jurisdictions. Termed "cities of federal significance," they have the same status as the oblasts. The ten autonomous regions and Birobidzhan are part of larger jurisdictions, either an oblast or a territory. As the power and influence of the central government have become diluted, governors and mayors have become the only relevant government authorities in many jurisdictions.

===The Federation Treaty and regional power===
[[File:Vladimir Putin 24 May 2001-1.jpg|thumb|Russian President Putin with local residents in [[Lensk]], Sakha Republic]]
The [[Federation Treaty]] was signed in March 1992 by President Yeltsin and most leaders of the autonomous republics and other ethnic and geographical subunits. The treaty consisted of three separate documents, each pertaining to one type of regional jurisdiction. It outlined powers reserved for the central government, shared powers, and residual powers to be exercised primarily by the subunits. Because Russia's new constitution remained in dispute in the Federal Assembly at the time of ratification, the Federation Treaty and provisions based on the treaty were incorporated as amendments to the 1978 constitution. A series of new conditions were established by the 1993 constitution and by bilateral agreements.

===Local jurisdictions under the constitution===
The constitution of 1993 resolved many of the ambiguities and contradictions concerning the degree of decentralization under the much-amended 1978 constitution of the Russian Republic; most such solutions favored the concentration of power in the central government. When the constitution was ratified, the Federation Treaty was demoted to the status of a subconstitutional document. A transitional provision of the constitution provided that in case of discrepancies between the federal constitution and the Federation Treaty, or between the constitution and other treaties involving a subnational jurisdiction, all other documents would defer to the constitution.

The 1993 constitution presents a daunting list of powers reserved to the center. Powers shared jointly between the federal and local authorities are less numerous. Regional jurisdictions are only allocated powers not specifically reserved to the federal government or exercised jointly. Those powers include managing municipal property, establishing and executing regional budgets, establishing and collecting regional taxes, and maintaining law and order. Some of the boundaries between joint and exclusively federal powers are vaguely prescribed; presumably, they would become clearer through the give and take of federal practice or through adjudication, as has occurred in other federal systems. Meanwhile, bilateral power-sharing treaties between the central government and the subunits have become an important means of clarifying the boundaries of shared powers. Many subnational jurisdictions have their own constitutions, however, and often those documents allocate powers to the jurisdiction inconsistent with provisions of the federal constitution. As of 1996, no process had been devised for adjudication of such conflicts.

Under the 1993 constitution, the republics, territories, oblasts, autonomous oblast, autonomous regions, and cities of federal designation are held to be "equal in their relations with the federal agencies of state power"; this language represents an attempt to end the complaints of the nonrepublic jurisdictions about their inferior status. In keeping with this new equality, republics no longer receive the epithet "sovereign," as they did in the 1978 constitution. Equal representation in the Federation Council for all eighty-nine jurisdictions furthers the equalization process by providing them meaningful input into legislative activities, particularly those of special local concern.

However, Federation Council officials have criticized the State Duma for failing to represent regional interests adequately. In mid-1995 Vladimir Shumeyko, then speaker of the Federation Council, criticized the current electoral system's party-list provision for allowing some parts of Russia to receive disproportionate representation in the lower house. (In the 1995 elections, Moscow Oblast received nearly 38 percent of the State Duma's seats based on the concentration of party-list candidates in the national capital.) Shumeyko contended that such misallocation fed potentially dangerous popular discontent with the parliament and politicians.

Despite constitutional language equalizing the regional jurisdictions in their relations with the center, vestiges of Soviet-era multitiered federalism remain in a number of provisions, including those allowing for the use of non-Russian languages in the republics but not in other jurisdictions, and in the definitions of the five categories of subunit. On most details of the federal system, the constitution is vague, and clarifying legislation had not been passed by mid-1996. However, some analysts have pointed out that this vagueness facilitates the resolution of individual conflicts between the center and the regions.

===Power sharing===
[[File:Yegor Borisov, August 2010.jpeg|thumb|200px|[[Yegor Borisov]], president of the [[Sakha Republic]], a federal subject of Russia.]]
Flexibility is a goal of the constitutional provision allowing bilateral treaties or charters between the central government and the regions on power sharing. For instance, in the bilateral treaty signed with the Russian government in February 1994, the Republic of Tatarstan gave up its claim to sovereignty and accepted Russia's taxing authority, in return for Russia's acceptance of Tatar control over oil and other resources and the republic's right to sign economic agreements with other countries. This treaty has particular significance because Tatarstan was one of the two republics that did not sign the Federation Treaty in 1992. By mid-1996 almost one-third of the federal subunits had concluded power-sharing treaties or charters.

The first power-sharing charter negotiated by the central government and an oblast was signed in December 1995 with Orenburg Oblast. The charter divided power in the areas of economic and agricultural policy, natural resources, international economic relations and trade, and military industries. According to Prime Minister Chernomyrdin, the charter gave Orenburg full power over its budget and allowed the oblast to participate in privatization decisions. By early 1996, similar charters had been signed with Krasnodar Territory and Kaliningrad and Sverdlovsk oblasts. In the summer of 1996, Yeltsin wooed potential regional supporters of his reelection by signing charters with Perm', Rostov, Tver', and Leningrad oblasts and with the city of St. Petersburg, among others, granting these regions liberal tax treatment and other economic advantages.

By the mid-1990s, regional jurisdictions also had become bolder in passing local legislation to fill gaps in federation statutes rather than waiting for the Federal Assembly to act. For example, Volgograd Oblast passed laws regulating local pensions, the issuance of promissory notes, and credit unions. The constitution upholds regional legislative authority to pass laws that accord with the constitution and existing federal laws.

====List of power-sharing treaties====
During Boris Yeltin's presidency, he signed a total of 46 power-sharing treaties with Russia's various subjects<ref>{{cite book|title=Regional Politics in Russia|last=Ross|first=Cameron|publisher=Manchester University|year=2002|isbn=0-7190-5890-2|location=Manchester, United Kingdom|pages=9}}</ref> starting with Tatarstan on 15 February 1994 and ending with Moscow on 16 June 1998,<ref>{{cite book|title=The NEBI Yearbook 2001/2002: North European and Baltic Sea Integration|last1=Hedegaard|first1=Lars|last2=Lindström|first2=Bjarne|publisher=Springer|year=2002|isbn=978-3-642-07700-5|location=New York, United States|pages=307}}</ref> giving them greater autonomy from the federal government. According to Prime Minister [[Viktor Chernomyrdin]], the government intended to sign power-sharing agreements with all of Russia's 89 subjects.<ref name= "newsline3">{{cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1141182.html|title=Newsline - May 30, 1996 Rostov, Sakhalin Oblasts Sign Power-Sharing Agreements|date=1996-05-30|website=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|language=en|access-date=2019-05-02|archive-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503023628/https://www.rferl.org/a/1141182.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the election of Vladimir Putin on 26 March 2000 and his subsequent overhaul of the federal system, the power-sharing treaties began to be abolished. The vast majority of treaties were terminated between 2001 and 2002 while others were forcibly annulled on 4 July 2003. Bashkortostan, Moscow, and Tatarstan's treaties expired on their own individual dates. On 24 July 2017, Tatarstan's power-sharing treaty expired, making it the last subject to lose its autonomy.<ref name= "moscow">{{cite news|url=https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/tatarstan-special-status-expires-58483|title=Tatarstan, the Last Region to Lose Its Special Status Under Putin|last=Smirnova|first=Lena|date=2017-07-24|work=The Moscow Times|access-date=2017-08-07|language=en|archive-date=December 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229183213/https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/tatarstan-special-status-expires-58483|url-status=live}}</ref>

=====Republics=====
{{columns-list|colwidth=18em|
# {{flag|Bashkortostan}} 3 August 1994<ref name= "asymmetries">{{cite journal|last=Solnick|first=Steven|date=29 May 1996|title=Asymmetries in Russian Federation Bargaining|url=https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/nceeer/1996-810-08-Solnick.pdf|journal=The National Council for Soviet and East European Research|pages=12|access-date=May 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828112303/https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/nceeer/1996-810-08-Solnick.pdf|archive-date=August 28, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> – 7 July 2005<ref name= "turner">{{cite book|last=Turner|first=Cassandra|date=May 2018|title="We Never Said We're Independent": Natural Resources, Nationalism, and the Fight for Political Autonomy in Russia's Regions|pages=49}}</ref>
# {{flag|Buryatia}} 11 July 1995<ref name= "asymmetries"/> – 15 February 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya">{{cite journal|last=Chuman|first=Mizuki|title=The Rise and Fall of Power-Sharing Treaties Between Center and Regions in Post-Soviet Russia|url=http://demokratizatsiya.pub/archives/19_2_L7H017206G216817.pdf|journal=Demokratizatsiya|pages=146|access-date=May 2, 2019|archive-date=March 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308002915/http://demokratizatsiya.pub/archives/19_2_L7H017206G216817.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
# {{flag|Chuvashia}} 27 May 1996<ref name= "newsline4">{{cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1141180.html|title=Newsline - May 28, 1996 More Power-Sharing Agreements Signed|date=1996-05-28|language=en|access-date=2019-05-03|quote=At a Kremlin ceremony on 27 May, President Yeltsin signed two power-sharing agreements: one with Irkutsk Oblast and the Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug (AO), and another with the Republic of Chuvashiya, Russian media reported.|website=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|archive-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503042339/https://www.rferl.org/a/1141180.html|url-status=live}}</ref> – 4 July 2003{{efn|name=terminated|Terminated on the basis of Article 5 of the Federal Law passed on 4 July 2003.}}
# {{flag|Kabardino-Balkaria}} 1 July 1994<ref name= "asymmetries"/> – 8 August 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
# {{flag|Komi Republic}} 20 March 1996<ref name= "jamestown4">{{cite web|url=https://jamestown.org/program/russia-signs-power-sharing-treaty-with-komi-republic/|title=Russia Signs Power-Sharing Treaty with Komi Republic|date=1996-03-21|website=Jamestown|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-02|archive-date=October 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028044749/https://jamestown.org/program/russia-signs-power-sharing-treaty-with-komi-republic/|url-status=live}}</ref> – 20 May 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
# {{flagicon image|Flag of Mari El 1992-2006.svg}} [[Mari El]] 21 May 1998<ref name= "newsline2">{{cite news|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1141661.html|title=Newsline - May 22, 1998 Yeltsin Signs More Power-Sharing Agreements with Regions|website=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=June 20, 2008 |language=en|access-date=2019-05-02|archive-date=November 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105015903/https://www.rferl.org/a/1141661.html|url-status=live}}</ref> – 31 December 2001<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
# {{flag|North Ossetia–Alania}} 23 March 1995<ref name= "asymmetries"/> – 2 September 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
# {{flag|Sakha Republic}} 29 June 1995<ref name= "asymmetries"/> – 4 July 2003{{efn|name=terminated|Terminated on the basis of Article 5 of the Federal Law passed on 4 July 2003.}}
# {{flag|Tatarstan}} 15 February 1994 – 24 July 2017<ref name= "moscow"/>
# {{flag|Udmurtia}} 17 October 1995<ref name= "asymmetries"/> – 4 July 2003{{efn|name=terminated|Terminated on the basis of Article 5 of the Federal Law passed on 4 July 2003.}}
}}

=====Krais=====
{{columns-list|colwidth=18em|
# {{flag|Altai Krai}} 29 November 1996<ref name="politika">{{cite news|title=Agreements on the distribution of powers between public authorities of the Russian Federation and public authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation|url=http://www.cityline.ru:8084/politika/reg/dogovory.html|date=2002|publisher=Politika|access-date=24 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050225020356/http://www.cityline.ru:8084/politika/reg/dogovory.html|archive-date=25 February 2005|url-status=dead|language=ru}}</ref> – 15 March 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
#{{flag|Khabarovsk Krai}} 24 April 1996<ref name= "asymmetries"/> – 12 August 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
#{{flag|Krasnodar Krai}} 30 January 1996<ref name= "asymmetries"/> – 12 April 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
#{{flag|Krasnoyarsk Krai}} 1 November 1997<ref name="f&p">{{cite web|url=http://www.fpspace.org/friends/news/omri/1997/10/971031I.html(opt,mozilla,unix,english,,new)|title=F&P RFE/RL Archive - Yeltsin Praises Power-Sharing Agreements with Regions|date=31 October 1997|access-date=2019-05-03|quote=On 1 November 1997 he is to sign a power-sharing agreement with Krasnoyarsk Krai and the Taymyr and Evenk Autonomous Okrugs.|website=Friends & Partners|archive-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503042344/http://www.fpspace.org/friends/news/omri/1997/10/971031I.html(opt,mozilla,unix,english,,new)|url-status=dead}}</ref> – 4 July 2003{{efn|name=terminated|Terminated on the basis of Article 5 of the Federal Law passed on 4 July 2003.}}
}}

=====Oblasts=====
{{columns-list|colwidth=18em|
#{{flag|Amur Oblast}} 21 May 1998<ref name= "newsline2"/> – 18 March 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
#{{flag|Astrakhan Oblast}} 30 October 1997<ref name= "jamestown2">{{cite web|url=https://jamestown.org/program/yeltsin-signs-power-sharing-agreements-with-five-more-russian-regions/|title=Yeltsin Signs Power-Sharing Agreements With Five More Russian Regions|date=1997-11-03|website=Jamestown|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-02|archive-date=May 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502051205/https://jamestown.org/program/yeltsin-signs-power-sharing-agreements-with-five-more-russian-regions/|url-status=live}}</ref> – 21 December 2001<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
#{{flag|Bryansk Oblast}} 4 July 1997<ref name= "jamestown3">{{cite web|url=https://jamestown.org/program/moscow-signs-power-sharing-agreements-with-five-more-regions/|title=Moscow Signs Power-Sharing Agreements With Five More Regions|date=1997-07-07|website=Jamestown|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-02|archive-date=May 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502165601/https://jamestown.org/program/moscow-signs-power-sharing-agreements-with-five-more-regions/|url-status=live}}</ref> – 9 August 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
#{{flag|Chelyabinsk Oblast}} 4 July 1997<ref name= "jamestown3"/> – 2 February 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
#{{flag|Ivanovo Oblast}} 21 May 1998<ref name= "newsline2"/> – 26 February 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
#{{flag|Irkutsk Oblast}} 27 May 1996<ref name= "newsline4"/> – 6 July 2002<ref name="codex">{{cite web|url=http://docs.cntd.ru/document/9039013|title=Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the administration of the Irkutsk Region on the delimitation of powers in the field of notaries, advocacy and training of legal personnel|website=Codex|language=ru|access-date=11 February 2020|archive-date=March 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327021129/https://docs.cntd.ru/document/9039013|url-status=live}}</ref>
#{{flag|Kaliningrad Oblast}} 12 January 1996<ref name= "asymmetries"/> – 31 May 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
#{{flag|Kirov Oblast}} 30 October 1997<ref name= "jamestown2"/> – 24 January 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
#{{flag|Kostroma Oblast}} 21 May 1998<ref name= "newsline2"/> – 19 February 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
#{{flag|Leningrad Oblast}} 13 June 1996<ref name= "newsline">{{cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1141193.html|title=Newsline - June 14, 1996 Yeltsin Signs More Power-Sharing Agreements|date=1996-06-14|website=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|language=en|access-date=2019-05-02|archive-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503023624/https://www.rferl.org/a/1141193.html|url-status=live}}</ref> – 18 April 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
#{{flag|Magadan Oblast}} 4 July 1997<ref name= "jamestown3"/> – 30 January 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
#{{flag|Murmansk Oblast}} 30 October 1997<ref name= "jamestown2"/> – 20 May 2003<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
# {{flag|Nizhny Novgorod Oblast}} 8 June 1996<ref name="politika"/> – 6 April 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
# {{flag|Omsk Oblast}} 19 May 1996<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1141174.html|title=Newsline - May 20, 1996 Yeltsin Promises to Maintain Stability, Plays Regional Card|date=1996-05-20|website=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|language=en|access-date=2019-05-02|archive-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503010918/https://www.rferl.org/a/1141174.html|url-status=live}}</ref> – 21 December 2001<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
# {{flag|Orenburg Oblast}} 30 January 1996<ref>{{cite book|title=The Republics and Regions of the Russian Federation: A Guide to Politics, Policies, and Leaders|last1=Orttung|first1=Robert|last2=Lussier|first2=Danielle|last3=Paretskaya|first3=Anna|publisher=EastWest Institute|year=2000|isbn=0-7656-0559-7|location=New York, United States|pages=415|quote=On 30 January 1996 Yelagin and Yeltsin signed a power-sharing agreement between Orenburg Oblast and the Russian Federation.}}</ref> – 4 April 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
# {{flagicon image|Flag of Perm Krai.svg}} [[Perm Oblast]] 31 May 1996<ref name="f&p2">{{cite web|url=http://www.friends-partners.org/friends/news/omri/1996/06/960603I.html(opt,mozilla,unix,english,,new)|title=F&P RFE/RL Archive - Another Power-Sharing Treaty Signed|date=1996-06-03|access-date=2019-05-03|quote=During a campaign swing through Perm Oblast late last week, President Yeltsin signed a power-sharing agreement with the oblast and Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug, which is situated within the oblast, ITAR-TASS reported on 31 May.|website=Friends & Partners|archive-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503042343/http://www.friends-partners.org/friends/news/omri/1996/06/960603I.html(opt,mozilla,unix,english,,new)|url-status=dead}}</ref> – 21 December 2001<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
#{{flag|Rostov Oblast}} 29 May 1996<ref name= "newsline3"/> – 15 March 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
# {{flag|Sakhalin Oblast}} 29 May 1996<ref name= "newsline3"/> – 4 March 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
# {{flag|Samara Oblast}} 1 August 1997<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1141464.html|title=Newsline - August 4, 1997 Power-Sharing Agreement Signed with Samara Oblast|date=1997-08-01|language=en|access-date=2019-05-03|website=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|archive-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503075414/https://www.rferl.org/a/1141464.html|url-status=live}}</ref> – 22 February 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
# {{flagicon image|Flag of Saratov Oblast (1996).png}} [[Saratov Oblast]] 4 July 1997<ref name= "jamestown3"/> – 9 February 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
# {{flag|Sverdlovsk Oblast}} 12 January 1996<ref name= "asymmetries"/> – 4 July 2003{{efn|name=terminated|Terminated on the basis of Article 5 of the Federal Law passed on 4 July 2003.}}
# {{flag|Tver Oblast}} 13 June 1996<ref name= "newsline"/> – 19 February 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
# {{flag|Ulyanovsk Oblast}} 30 October 1997<ref name= "jamestown2"/> – 31 December 2001<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
# {{flag|Vologda Oblast}} 4 July 1997<ref name= "jamestown3"/> – 15 March 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
# {{flagicon image|Flag of Voronezh Oblast (1998-2005).png}} [[Voronezh Oblast]] 21 May 1998<ref name= "newsline2"/> – 22 February 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
# {{flag|Yaroslavl Oblast}} 30 October 1997<ref name= "jamestown2"/> – 15 March 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
}}

=====Autonomous Okrugs=====
{{columns-list|colwidth=18em|
#{{flag|Evenk Autonomous Okrug}}{{efn|name=evenktaymyr|Krasnoyarsk, Evenk, and Taymyr had the same treaty as the latter two were administered by Krasnoyarsk.}} 1 November 1997<ref name="f&p"/> – 4 July 2003{{efn|name=terminated|Terminated on the basis of Article 5 of the Federal Law passed on 4 July 2003.}}
#{{flag|Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug}}{{efn|Perm and Komi-Permyak had the same treaty as the latter was administered by Perm.}} 31 May 1996<ref name="f&p2"/> – 21 December 2001<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
#{{flag|Taymyr Autonomous Okrug}}{{efn|name=evenktaymyr|Krasnoyarsk, Evenk, and Taymyr had the same treaty as the latter two were administered by Krasnoyarsk.}} 1 November 1997<ref name="f&p"/> – 4 July 2003{{efn|name=terminated|Terminated on the basis of Article 5 of the Federal Law passed on 4 July 2003.}}
#{{flag|Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug}}{{efn|Irkutsk and Ust-Orda had the same treaty as the latter was administered by Irkutsk.}} 27 May 1996<ref name= "newsline4"/> – 6 July 2002<ref name= "codex"/>
}}

=====Federal Cities=====
{{columns-list|colwidth=18em|
#{{flag|Moscow}} 16 June 1998<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.friends-partners.org/friends/news/omri/1998/06/980617I.html(opt,mozilla,unix,english,,new)|title=F&P RFE/RL Archive - Yeltsin, Luzhkov Sign Power-Sharing Agreement|date=1998-06-16|website=Friends & Partners|access-date=2019-05-03|quote=During a 16 June meeting in the Kremlin, Yeltsin and Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov signed a power-sharing agreement on behalf of the federal and city authorities.|archive-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503042340/http://www.friends-partners.org/friends/news/omri/1998/06/980617I.html(opt,mozilla,unix,english,,new)|url-status=dead}}</ref> – 16 June 2008<ref>{{cite web|url=http://docs.cntd.ru/document/901711103|title=Agreement on the delimitation of the subjects of jurisdiction and powers between the state authorities of the Russian Federation and the state authorities of the city of federal significance Moscow|website=Codex|language=ru|access-date=24 October 2020|archive-date=October 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028041338/http://docs.cntd.ru/document/901711103|url-status=live}}</ref>
#{{flag|St. Petersburg}} 13 June 1996<ref name= "newsline"/> – 4 April 2002<ref name= "demokratiztsiya"/>
}}

===Presidential power in the regions===
The president retains the power to appoint and remove presidential representatives, who act as direct emissaries to the jurisdictions in overseeing local administrations' implementation of presidential policies. The power to appoint these overseers was granted by the Russian Supreme Soviet to Yeltsin in late 1991. The parliament attempted several times during 1992-93 to repeal or curtail the activities of these appointees, whose powers are only alluded to in the constitution. The presence of Yeltsin's representatives helped bring out the local vote on his behalf in the 1996 presidential election.

The governments of the republics include a president or prime minister (or both) and a regional council or legislature. The chief executives of lower jurisdictions are called governors or administrative heads. Generally, in jurisdictions other than republics the executive branches have been more sympathetic to the central government, and the legislatures (called soviets until late 1993, then called dumas or assemblies) have been the center of whatever separatist sentiment exists. Under the power given him in 1991 to appoint the chief executives of territories, oblasts, autonomous regions, and the autonomous oblast, Yeltsin had appointed virtually all of the sixty-six leaders of those jurisdictions. By contrast, republic presidents have been popularly elected since 1992. Some of Yeltsin's appointees have encountered strong opposition from their legislatures; in 1992 and 1993, in some cases, votes of no-confidence brought about popular elections for the position of chief executive.

After the Moscow confrontation of October 1993, Yeltsin sought to bolster his regional support by dissolving the legislatures of all federal subunits except the republics (which were advised to "reform" their political systems). Accordingly, in 1994 elections were held in all the jurisdictions whose legislatures had been dismissed. In some cases, that process placed local executives at the head of legislative bodies, eliminating checks and balances between the branches at the regional level.

Election results in the subnational jurisdictions held great significance for the Yeltsin administration because the winners would fill the ex officio seats in the Federation Council, which until 1996 was a reliable bastion of support. The election of large numbers of opposition candidates would end the Federation Council's usefulness as a balance against the anti-Yeltsin State Duma and further impede Yeltsin's agenda. In 1995 some regions held gubernatorial elections to fill the administrative posts originally granted to Yeltsin appointees in 1991.

Faced with an escalating number of requests for such elections, Yeltsin decreed December 1996 as the date for most gubernatorial and republic presidential elections. This date was confirmed by a 1995 Federation Council law. The decree also set subnational legislative elections for June or December 1997. (In July 1996, the State Duma advanced these elections to late 1996.) Observers noted that by calling for most of these elections to take place after the presidential election, Yeltsin prevented unfavorable outcomes from possibly reducing his reelection chances—even though voter apathy after the presidential election had the potential to help opposition candidates.