Constitutional and Legal Principle of Unity of the System of Public Power in the Russian Federation: Formation and Development

Abstract

The article presents various points of view existing in the scientific literature on the concept of “public power”. When considering them, the author identifies and justifies two stages: before the adoption of the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 1993 and after amendments to it in July 2020. At the first stage, public power was identified with state power. At the second stage, the term “public power” in the Constitution of Russia is used as a generalizing concept that includes state bodies and local self-government bodies, which, interacting with each other, act as a power vertical at different levels and, simultaneously, complementing each other, ensure the unity of the system of public power in the Russian Federation. The author substantiates the conclusion that the concept of public power, the principle of unity of its system and other issues arising from constitutional and legal regulation have been developed in legislative acts. They analyze normative acts, decisions of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation on the issue under consideration and draw appropriate conclusions.