http://dx.doi.org/10.59704/044fc86d6d44ad56 https://verfassungsblog.de/why-the-russian-constitution-matters/ Why the Russian Constitution Matters Partlett, William eng 2024-02-16 electronic resource text/html ddc:342 Russian Constitution Russland Russland Verfassungsblog Verfassungsblog--2366-7044 CC BY-SA 4.0 Russia’s failure to become a democracy after the collapse of the Soviet Union is not an inevitable product of its history. On the contrary, it has been shaped by the adoption of a constitutional system of centralised power in the office of the president. Long term democratic reform will require more than just Putin leaving the office of the presidency. Avoiding a system of ‘Putinism without Putin’ will also require a new Russian constitutional foundation that breaks with centralisation and reshapes the later structural chapters of the constitution to balance power between institutions.