Informal Powers in Contemporary Russia

The informal role of Heads of the State and their impact on the development of their political system still deserve to be more deeply analyzed. In Russia the coming to power of Vladimir Putin at the beginning of the new millenium signalled a “new political era” characterized by political order, economic development and a stronger role in the International setting which have strenghtened Putin’s image in public opinion. Consequently, it is argued that there is a Russian cultural predisposition towards strong personalized leadership and the former President, Putin, seems to be the best representative of a new style called Putinism (Sakwa 2008) which had a negative influence on the quality of Russian democratization. In such a context, this paper aims to describe the role of the Russian President and his relationship with both the Parliament and the Executive powers, focusing on his political ability in shaping the institutional setting, his interaction with political actors and the usage of informal tools. The conclusion brings up to date with debates over the nature of constitutional changes and perspectives of power transit in Russia.