State Duma second half of the 1990s, the Duma became an important forum for lobbying by regional leaders and businessmen looking for tax breaks and legislative favors. The work of the leading committees, such as those for defense, foreign affairs, or budget, attracted a good deal of media attention and lobbying activity. In the early 2000s, following the 1999 parliamentary elections, the pro-presidential Unity party and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation were the leading forces in the State Duma. A 2016 exposé by Dissernet showed that 1 in 9 members of the State Duma had obtained academic degrees with theses
Moscow City Duma Moscow City Duma The Moscow City Duma (, "Moskovskaya Gorodskaya Duma") is the Russian regional parliament in Moscow, the unicameral City Duma (city council, a local parliament) of the Russian capital city of Moscow. As Moscow is one of three federal cities, the city duma's legislation can only be overridden by the mayor and the federal government. It includes 45 members who are elected for a five-year term on Single-mandate constituency basis. From 1993 to 2001 was elected by single-member districts. From 2005 to 2009, 20 deputies were elected on party lists, and 15 - in single-seat constituencies. From 2009