Constitutionalism and Accountability in Contemporary Russia: the Problem of Displaced Sovereignty

Chapter Summary

In Russia's newly-formed democracy, formal measures of accountability are relatively weak, and in any case tend to be overwhelmed by informal practices. This chapter explores some of the dimensions of this accountability gap and seeks to examine some frameworks for understanding contemporary Russian politics. The letter of the Constitution is the ground over which much of politics in contemporary Russia is fought. The rulings of the Constitutional Court do matter and constrain the actions of the administrative regime, although not as effectively as may be desired. What Max Weber had called sham constitutionalism would give way to real constitutionalism where political institutions are subordinated to the rule of law and where human and civil rights are defensible by law. Genuine liberalism would replace the neo-patrimonial struggle for hegemony, impartial rules would take the place of prerogatives, order would replace stability, and the emergency would give way to the normal.

Keywords: constitutional court; liberalism; Max Weber; political accountability; Russia