Constitutional Conference of the Russian Federation

The Constitutional Conference of the Russian Federation was a temporary consultative and drafting body convened by President Boris Yeltsin during Russia's constitutional crisis in 1993. Its purpose was to produce an alternative to the constitutional draft prepared under the Constitutional Commission of the Congress of People's Deputies and to build a text capable of winning broader support among state institutions, regional authorities and organized civil society. The conference was opened in Moscow's Kremlin on 5 June 1993 under the authority of Presidential Decree No. 840 of 2 June 1993. Its composition was intentionally broad. Participants represented federal government bodies, the authorities of the constituent territories of the Russian Federation, local self-government, political parties, trade unions, youth and other public organizations, social movements, religious denominations, producers and entrepreneurs. The body therefore functioned less like a permanent institution than like a large constitutional convention assembled by the presidency. The presidential constitutional project was developed with prominent participation from legal and political figures including Sergey Alekseev, Anatoly Sobchak and Sergey Shakhray. More than 800 participants took part in the conference's deliberations and working groups. Through negotiations and drafting work, the conference produced a consolidated text that incorporated numerous amendments to the original presidential draft and adopted some provisions associated with the rival draft of the Congress of People's Deputies' Constitutional Commission. The first major stage concluded on 12 July 1993, when the participants finalized and agreed on the principal draft. Work continued during the political upheavals of the autumn, including further refinement in October and November through newly established public and state chambers and a constitutional-arbitration commission. These bodies helped process proposed amendments and reconcile competing institutional positions. The resulting draft was submitted by the president to a nationwide vote on 12 December 1993. It was approved in that vote and became the Constitution of the Russian Federation currently associated with the post-Soviet constitutional order. The conference consequently had a short operational life but a major constitutional role: it served as the presidential vehicle for replacing the earlier parliamentary commission's draft with a text endorsed through the December 1993 referendum. It was not a commercial brand or continuing business organization, and no independent products, revenue model, market activity or successor corporate structure are documented in the cited material.

The Constitutional Conference emerged from the conflict over how Russia should replace or revise its existing constitutional framework during the political crisis of 1993. A constitutional draft had already been prepared by the Constitutional Commission of the Congress of People's Deputies. President Boris Yeltsin was dissatisfied with that process and used the presidency to convene a separate, broader forum capable of preparing an alternative text. Presidential Decree No. 840, issued on 2 June 1993, provided the formal basis for the conference. Its opening took place in the Kremlin in Moscow on 5 June. Rather than being limited to members of the federal legislature, the gathering included representatives of federal authorities, the governments of Russia's constituent territories, local self-government, political parties, trade unions, public and youth organizations, social movements, religious bodies, producers and entrepreneurs. This composition was intended to give the presidential project a wider institutional and social base. The drafting process was associated particularly with Sergey Alekseev, Anatoly Sobchak and Sergey Shakhray. More than 800 participants worked through legal and political issues in committees and other working formats. The result was a new consolidated draft based on the presidential proposal but modified through debate. It included several hundred amendments, among them provisions that reflected elements of the competing draft produced by the Congress of People's Deputies' Constitutional Commission. The first phase of the process culminated on 12 July 1993, when the participants finalized and agreed on the principal text. The process did not end immediately, however. During October and November, further work was conducted through public and state chambers and a constitutional-arbitration commission associated with the conference's newly formed structures. These mechanisms were used to refine the document and address disagreements over its constitutional provisions. The completed draft was ultimately submitted by Yeltsin to a nationwide vote on 12 December 1993. Its approval established the Constitution of the Russian Federation that became the central legal framework of the post-Soviet Russian state. The conference therefore operated as a transitional constitutional convention rather than as a continuing administrative body. Its historical significance lies in its role in producing, revising and politically supporting the presidential constitutional draft that succeeded the rival parliamentary commission project.

• 1993

  Presidential decree establishes the conference process

  [1]Constitutional Conference of Russiaen.wikipedia.org

  On 2 June, President Boris Yeltsin issued Decree No. 840, providing the formal basis for convening the Constitutional Conference and completing an alternative constitutional draft.

• 1993

  Opening session in the Kremlin

  [1]Constitutional Conference of Russiaen.wikipedia.org

  The conference opened in Moscow on 5 June with representatives of state institutions, local authorities, political organizations and civil society.

• 1993

  First-stage draft agreement

  [1]Constitutional Conference of Russiaen.wikipedia.org

  On 12 July, participants finalized and agreed on the principal version of the presidential constitutional draft after extensive committee work.

• 1993

  Further constitutional refinement

  [1]Constitutional Conference of Russiaen.wikipedia.org

  In October and November, public and state chambers and a constitutional-arbitration commission continued revising and reconciling the draft.

• 1993

  Draft submitted to referendum

  [1]Constitutional Conference of Russiaen.wikipedia.org

  The completed draft was submitted to a nationwide vote on 12 December and was approved, becoming the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

A presidentially convened constitutional drafting forum intended to broaden participation in, revise and legitimize an alternative constitutional project during Russia's 1993 institutional crisis.

• 1993

  Create a presidential alternative to the parliamentary constitutional draftStrategy

  Background

  The presidency sought a constitutional text different from the draft prepared by the Constitutional Commission of the Congress of People's Deputies.

  Action taken

  Yeltsin convened a broad consultative conference including government authorities, regional and local institutions, political parties, unions and civil-society groups.

  Aftermath

  The process produced the presidential draft that was later submitted to the December 1993 nationwide vote.

  Source

• 1993

  Adopt and refine a consolidated constitutional textOther

  Background

  The initial presidential draft required negotiation among a large and politically diverse group of participants.

  Action taken

  Working groups introduced several hundred amendments and incorporated some provisions associated with the rival parliamentary commission draft.

  Aftermath

  The revised text became the constitutional proposal submitted by the president to the electorate.

  Source

1. 1Constitutional Conference of Russiaen.wikipedia.org