Speaking:

1. Speak about the powers of the President.

2. Find interesting information from the biography of the acting president.

3. Compare the powers of the RF President and the British monarch.

Text 3

I. Pre-reading task:

1. Read the heading and guess the subject matter of the text.

2. Read the following international words and guess their meaning:

committee, competence, impeachment, federal, session, budget, status of war, amnesty, ratification, financial, federation, regulation.

II. Reading tasks:

Scan the text and answer the following questions:

1. What are two chambers of the Federal Assembly?

2. What are the functions of the Federation Council?

3. What are the functions of the State Duma?

4. What are the powers of the Government?

The Legislative and the Executive Branches of Power in Russia.

The Federal Assembly – the Parliament of the Russian Federation is the representative and legislative body of the Russian Federation. It consists of two chambers: the Federation Council and the State Duma. The Federation Council includes two representatives from each constituent entity of the Russian Federation and the State Duma consists of 450 deputies.

The State Duma adopts federal laws relating to the federal budget; federal taxes; financial, currency, credit and customs regulation; money emission; ratification and denunciation of international treaties of the RF; and war and peace. These laws must be compulsory examined by the Federation Council.

The Federation Council considers the following issues: it imposes the state of emergency and approves the use of military forces outside the country. It has the competence in such issues as the appointment and the dismissal of the Prosecutor General and judges of the supreme body of the judicial branch.

The executive power is exercised by the Government. It consists of the Chairman of the Government (the Prime Minister), Deputy Chairman and the federal ministers. The Government introduces a draft budget and provides its implementation. It also implements the financial policy of the country. It helps to ensure legality, rights and freedoms of the citizens; to protect property and public order and state security. The government ensures the implementation of a uniform social policy in the sphere of culture, science, education, health and ecology.

Ex.1 Choose the best ending to these incomplete sentences:

1. The Parliament consists of … (one branch, two chambers, several committees).

2. Military forces cannot be used outside the country without the approval of … (the State Duma, the Federation Council, the President).

3. The executive power is exercised by … (the President, the Government, the Prime Minister).

4. The final decision on the President’s impeachment is taken by … (the Federation Council, the Government, the State Duma).

5. The Federation Council … (makes laws, imposes the state of emergency, introduces a draft budget).

Ex.2 a) Say if it is true or false:

1. The Federation Council doesn’t approve decisions on changes of borders between the constituent entities.

2. The Government consists only of the federal ministers.

3. The RF Parliament is the legislative organ of the Russian Federation.

4. The Federation Council introduces a draft budget.

5. The Government is the legislative body.

b) Make your own true or false statements.

Ex.3 Match these words and word combinations with the Russian equivalents:

1. committee	a) Совет Безопасности
2. commission	b) Федеральное Собрание
3. the Federal Assembly	c) Генеральный прокурор
4. supreme body	d) заместитель председателя
5. the Prosecutor General	e) Совет Федерации
6. the Federation Council	f) Совет Министров
7. the deputy Chairman	g) комиссия
8. the Council of Ministers	h) комитет
9. the Accounts Chamber	i) Счётная палата
10. the Security Council	j) верховная власть

Ex. 4 Find pairs of words from these two lists:

1. to exercise	a) powers
2. to appoint	b) changes
3. to pass	c) laws/decisions
4. to consider	d) a draft
5. to approve	e) the State Duma
6. to sign	f) new elections
7. to announce	g) the Prime Minister
8. to introduce	h) rights, freedoms, legality
9. to guarantee	i) law, document
10. to dissolve	j) issues