Parliament of St.Petersburg

St. Petersburg's Legislative Assembly is a legislative body of St. Petersburg, a subject of the Russian Federation, a city of federal significance. Together with St. Petersburg's Administration and its judicial bodies it forms a system of state governmental bodies, based on the principles of democracy, division of state power, independence of individual governmental bodies and the division of authority between federal and city governments.  The Legislative Assembly inherits the traditions of the city's representative government organizations, such as the City Duma (Parliament) and the Petrograd - Leningrad - St. Petersburg Council of People's Deputies. It is located in the Mariinsky Palace.

The Legislative Assembly consists of 50 deputies elected in one-mandate districts. The Legislative Assembly has gathered for the first time in 1994. Each convocation of the Assembly is given authority over a four year period. The second convocation of the Assembly has elected new deputies on December 6, 1998.

The Legislative Assembly passes the St. Petersburg Charter, St. Petersburg laws and Legislative Assembly decrees. It is authorized to ratify the city's budget, the administration's structure and projects of city development, to establish taxes and fees directed to city budget, to manage city property, to regulate issues of local self-government, to ratify the city's treaties. The Legislative Assembly controls the execution of the St. Petersburg Charter and city laws, the fulfillment of city budget and of St. Petersburg's development programs. It is authorized to award the "Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg" title.

The Chairman of the Legislative Assembly, like the St. Petersburg Governor, is also a member of the Russian Federation Council.

www.assembly.spb.ru