Duma Duma A duma (дума) was a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions. The term comes from the Russian verb думать ("dumat’") meaning "to think" or "to consider". The first formally constituted duma was the State Duma introduced into the Russian Empire by Tsar Nicholas II in 1905. The Tsar dismissed the first duma within 75 days and re-elected second duma within three months. It was dissolved in 1917 during the Russian Revolution. Since 1993, the State Duma is the lower legislative house of the Russian Federation. Historians use the term "Boyar Duma" to denote the council of boyars and
1997 Moscow City Duma election 1997 Moscow City Duma election The Moscow legislative election of 1997 were held December 14 of that year to the Moscow City Duma, the city's unicameral parliament (city council). Participated in the election were 28 associations and four electoral blocs. In 1995, the deputies refused to schedule new elections and instead extended their term for a further two years. This provoked a two-year court case that ended this summer with a ruling that the Duma had acted illegally in extending its powers. The "Nikolai Gonchar" bloc was the only bloc that has adopted a platform critical of the way Mayor