3rd State Duma 3rd State Duma The State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the 3rd convocation (Russian: Государственная Дума Федерального Собрания Российской Федерации III созыва) was the third session of the legislative branch of the State Duma, Lower House of the Russian Parliament. The 3rd convocation met at the State Duma building in Moscow from December 19, 1999 to December 7, 2003. Until the election of the Chairman of the State Duma of the meeting, the position was filled by the oldest deputy – 79 year-old of Yegor Ligachyov – according to traditions. On January 18, 2000, the parliament
3rd State Duma elected Gennadiy Seleznyov as the Chairman of the State Duma. In the State Duma at the 3rd convocation, two coalitions functioned at different times as the majority. In both cases, the coalitions were initiated by the "Unity" faction. The first coalition was formed immediately after the announcement of election results, during the preparations for the first meeting of the new parliament. The "Unity" faction and the Communist Party (the largest in the State Duma) signed a package agreement, according to which they shared the top positions of the Duma and the chairmanships of parliamentary committees. As for "Unity" it was