6th State Duma Of the seven parties participating in the elections, only four were able to overcome the 7% election threshold to gain representation based upon the proportional representation system. On December 21, 2011, the parliament elected Sergey Naryshkin from the United Russia as the Chairman of the State Duma. At the same time, according to tradition, until the election of the Chairman of the State Duma, the meeting carried the oldest members of the State Duma – 87-year-old Vladimir Dolgikh (from United Russia) and 81-year-old Zhores Alferov (from Communist Party). On December 21, 2011, the State Duma approved the composition of its
Duma junior boyars collectively within the Russian Tsardom. In 1721 Peter the Great transferred its functions to the Governing Senate. Contemporary sources always refer simply to "the boyars" or to "the duma", but never to the "boyar duma". Originally there were ten to twelve boyars and five or six "paddu". By 1613 the duma had increased to twenty boyars and eight "okol'nichii". Lesser nobles, "duma gentlemen" ("dumnye dvoriane") and secretaries, were added to the duma and the number of "okol'nichii" rose in the latter half of the 17th century. In 1676 the number of boyars increased to 50 - by then