section_path: Government and politics
section_name: Government and politics
paragraph_text: Government and politics
  
  Russia, by constitution, is a symmetric federal republic with a semi-presidential system, wherein the president is the head of state, and the prime minister is the head of government. It is structured as a multi-party representative democracy, with the federal government composed of three branches:
  
  The president is elected by popular vote for a six-year term and may be elected no more than twice. Ministries of the government are composed of the premier and his deputies, ministers, and selected other individuals; all are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister (whereas the appointment of the latter requires the consent of the State Duma). United Russia is the dominant political party in Russia, and has been described as " big tent " and the " party of power ".
  
  Post-Soviet Russia was a flawed democracy during the presidency of Boris Yeltsin.: 223 However, following the presidencies of Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev, it has experienced significant democratic backsliding.: 223 The political system evolved from electoral authoritarianism into a consolidated authoritarian regime.: 323 Some political scientists have characterized Putin as the head of a dictatorship, or a personalist regime. Putin's second tenure as president has led to further autocratization,: 512 : 80–81 which has been the most significant since the Soviet era, with some authors suggesting a regeneration of totalitarian elements. Putin's ruling policies are generally referred to as Putinism.