Luchin, V.O., Mazurov, A.V. New Law on referendum.

Abstract: On May 18, 2004 the President of the Russian Federation has sent to the State Duma a draft of the Federal constitutional law “On referendum in the Russian Federation”, and it was soon passed. What were the causes of such hasty actions? What are the differences between the new law and the 1995 law on referendum? In this article Professor V.O. Luchin and A.V. Mazurov provide critical analysis of the new law and its novel features, evaluate the degree of recognition of the practice of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation on this issue in the new law.