Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/1304

 1182 RUSSIA

The Duma consists ot members elected for five years and representing the governments or provinces and the greatest cities : St. Petersburg, Moscow. Warsaw, Kiev, Lodz, Odessa, and Riga (law of June 3 (16), 1907).

The election of the Deputies is indirect, and is made by electoral bodies of the chief towns of governments or provinces and of the greatest cities, composed of delegates chosen by the district or town elective assemblies. In towns all lodgers occupying for 12 months lodgings let to them may vote in these assemblies, also salaried clerks of State, or of municipal or railway administration ; iu the country, all owners of a determinate area of land, different in different districts, or of n on -industrial estate more than 50,000 roubles in value, are electors ; the xolosU or peasant communities and manufactories with more than 50 workpeople are represented in the electoral assemblies by delegates, two for each volost, and one for each thousand workmen. Students, soldiers, governors of provinces (in provinces governed by them), and police-officers (in the localities for Avhich they act) may not vote. Members of the Duma are paid 10 roubles per day during session, and once a year travelling expenses to and from St. Petersburg.

Under a Manifesto and Ukases published on March 6, 1906 (N.S.), the Council of the Empire consists of an equal number of elected members and members nominated b}^ the Emperor, and will be convoked and prorogued annually by Imperial Ukase. The elective members of the Council will be eligible for nine years, a third of the number being elected every three years. Each assembly of the Zemstvo of each government will elect one member. Six members will be returned by the Synod of the Orthodox Church, six by the representatives of the Academy of Sciences and the Universities, 12 by the representatives of the bourses of commerce and of industry, 18 by the representatives of the nobility, and six by the representatives of the landed proprietors of Poland, assembled in congress at Warsaw. The congress of the representatives of the Academy of Sciences, the nobility, and the commercial and industrial communities for the election of their members to the Council of the Empire will meet in St. Petersburg. In those provinces of European Russia which have no Zemstvo, a congress of the representatives of the landed proprietors will assemble in the chief town of their province to elect one member for each province to the Council of the Empire. All members of the Council must have attained their 40th year and have an academical degree. The President and Vice-President will be appointed by the Tsar. The elective members of the Council will receive an honorarium of 25 roubles (2Z. 13s.) a day during the session.

The Council of the Empire and the Duma have equal legislative powers and the same right of initiative in legislation and of addressing questions to Ministers. Every measure before being submitted for the Imperial sanction must be passed by l)oth the Duma and the Council of the Empire, and all such as are rejected by one of the two legislative institutions will not be laid before the Tsar at all. Both the Duma and the Council have the right to annul the election of any of their members. The sittings of both the Duma and the Council of the Empire will be public. The closure of a debate may be voted by a simple majority. Neither the Council of the Empire nor the Duma is empowered to receive deputations or petitions. Ministeis will be eligible for the Dimia and, in the capacity of elected members, qualified to vote.

Laws voted by the two Houses will be submitted for the Imperial