Electoral system for national legislature

Russian Federation, 2005 Law 51-FZ on Elections of Deputies of the State Duma, accessed 29 July 2024

Article 3

Elections of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation

1. In accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation 450 deputies shall be elected to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation (hereinafter – State Duma). 

2. The deputies of the State Duma shall be elected in the federal electoral district in proportion to the number of votes cast for the federal lists of candidates to the deputies of the Russian Federation (hereinafter – federal lists of candidates). 


Article 83. Methodology of Proportional Distribution of Deputy Seats

1. The Central Electoral Commission of the Russian Federation shall calculate the sum total of the votes received by the federal lists of candidates admitted to distribution of deputy seats in accordance with the rules set forth in Clauses 7 to 9, Article 82 of the present Federal Law. This sum total of votes shall be divided by 450, being the number of deputy seats to be distributed within the federal electoral district. In case the deputies mandates are handed to the federal list of candidates in accordance with Article 82.1 hereof, the indicated number of voters is divided by the number of deputies mandates left after the hand-over. The obtained result is the first electoral quotient which is used in the process of distribution of deputy seats between the federal lists of candidates.

2. The number of votes received by each federal list of candidates admitted to distribution of deputy seats shall be divided by the first electoral quotient referred to in Clause 1 of the present Article. The integer part of the number obtained as the result of such division represents the number of deputy seats to be received by respective federal list of candidates as the result of primary distribution of deputy seats.

3. If, after the primary distribution of deputy seats effected in accordance with Clause 2 of the present Article, there remain undistributed deputy seats, secondary distribution of them shall be effected. One undistributed deputy seat shall be allotted to each federal list of candidates, which turns out with the largest fractional part of the number obtained as the result of the division effected in accordance with Clause 2 of the present Article. In case the fractional parts are equal (through the sixth digit after the decimal point) preference shall be given to the federal list of candidates which had received greater number of votes.

4. After the distribution of the deputy seats referred to in Clause 3 of the present Article, they shall be distributed within each federal list of candidates between the regional groups of candidates and the all-federal part of the federal list if it exists. The deputy seats are first allotted to the registered candidates included in the all-federal part of the federal list of candidates, in the order of their places in the said list.

5. If, after the deputy seats were allotted to all registered candidates included in the all-federal part of the federal list of candidates, there remain deputy seats due to the said federal list of candidates, the said seats shall be distributed within the federal list of candidates as follows. The sum total of votes cast for the federal list of candidates in the Subjects of the Russian Federation (groups of the Subjects of the Russian Federation; in the parts of the territories of the Subjects of the Russian Federation) which correspond to the regional groups of candidates into which the federal list of candidates had been divided, and the votes of voters residing outside of Russian Federation(should the political party make decision under clause 9.1 of Article 36 of this Federal Law), (hereinafter – votes cast for the regional groups of candidates) shall be divided by the number of deputy seats remaining undistributed within the federal list of candidates. The obtained result is the second electoral quotient for the given federal list of candidates. The number of votes cast for each regional group of candidates shall be divided by the second electoral quotient. In this case the votes of voters residing outside of Russian Federation, should the political party make decision under clause 9.1 of Article 26 of this Federal Law, shall be considered cast in favour of corresponding regional group of candidates. The integer part of the number obtained as the result of such division represents the number of deputy seats to be allotted to the respective regional group of candidates. If, after the said actions, there remain undistributed deputy seats due to the given federal list of candidates, one undistributed deputy seat shall be allotted to each regional group of candidates, which turns out with the largest fractional part of the number obtained as the result of division of the number of votes cast for each regional group of candidates by the second electoral quotient. In case the fractional parts are equal preference shall be given to the federal list of candidates which had received greater number of votes. If, in case of equality of votes cast for regional groups of candidates, the number of such groups would be higher than the number of deputies mandates, the regional group gaining the mandate shall be determined in accordance with their order in the federal list of candidates.

6. If, in the course of the distribution of deputy seats within a federal list of candidates, one regional group of candidates or several regional groups of candidates is (are) found not to have sufficient number of registered candidates, the deputy seats that remained undistributed are subject to additional distribution among the regional groups of the same federal list of candidates which include registered candidates who did not receive deputy seats. If at the time of such additional distribution there are regional groups that did not receive deputy seats in the course of their distribution in accordance with Clause 5 of the present Article, and if there are groups which include registered candidates who did not receive deputy seats, one seat shall be allotted to each of the said regional groups of candidates. In this case, the deputy seats shall be allotted in the same order of priority (in accordance with values of the fractional parts) determined on the basis of the initially calculated second electoral quotient. If, in the course of additional distribution, there remain no more regional groups of candidates which received no deputy seats in the course of distribution according to the values of the fractional parts, but there remain undistributed deputy seats, then one deputy seat shall be allotted to the regional groups of candidates with the smallest coefficient of additional distribution calculated for each of the regional group of candidates which include registered candidates to whom no deputy seats were allotted. The said coefficient shall be calculated by dividing the number of deputy seats already allotted to the regional group of candidates by the number of votes cast for this regional group of candidates. If the said coefficients are equal, the deputy seat shall be allotted to the regional group of candidates which had received greater number of votes. If after such distribution the number of deputy seats being additionally distributed shall exceed the number of the regional groups of candidates which are entitled to receive them, the procedure of additional distribution shall be repeated as many times as necessary, the said coefficient to be calculated anew each time. Additional distribution shall be also effected in other cases specified by the present Federal Law.

7. If, after the distribution of deputy seats among the federal lists of candidates effected in accordance with Clauses 1 to 3 of the present Article, necessity arises to additionally distribute one deputy seat or several deputy seats among all federal lists of candidates or some of them, such distribution shall be effected as follows. The deputy seats shall first be allotted to the federal lists of candidates which received no deputy seats when they were distributed according to the values of the fractional parts (the procedure set forth in Clause 3 of the present Article), then deputy seats shall be allotted according to the coefficients of additional distribution of deputy seats to be calculated for each federal list of candidates by dividing the total number of deputy seats already allotted to the respective federal list, by the number of votes cast for this federal list. Each of federal lists of candidates with the smallest coefficients shall receive one deputy seat. If the said coefficients are equal, the deputy seat shall be allotted to the federal list of candidates which had received greater number of votes. If after such distribution the number of deputy seats being additionally distributed shall exceed the number of the federal lists of candidates which are entitled to receive them, the procedure of additional distribution shall be repeated as many times as necessary, the said coefficient to be calculated anew each time. Deputy seats received by a federal list of candidates shall be allotted to registered candidates who are included in the all-federal part of the federal list of candidates but did not receive deputy seats; in the absence of such candidates – to registered candidates included in the regional groups of candidates of the given list, in accordance with the additional distribution procedure set forth in Clause 6 of the present Article. Federal lists of candidates may participate in the additional distribution of deputy seats only if they have registered candidates who did not receive deputy seats.

8. If, after the initial distribution of deputy seats within a federal list of candidates, a deputy seat becomes vacant, it shall be allotted to a registered candidate from the same federal list of candidates. The deputy seat shall be allotted to the first-in-the-line registered candidate among those registered candidates who did not receive deputy seats and who are included in the same regional group of candidates (the all-federal part of the federal list of candidates) with the registered candidate whose deputy seat becomes vacant. If there are no registered candidates in the respective regional group of candidates (the federal part of the federal list of candidates) who did not receive deputy seats, the vacant seat shall be allotted to another regional group of candidates of the same federal list of candidates according to the additional distribution procedure set forth in Clause 8 of the present Article.

9. If, in the course of distribution of deputy seats within a federal list of candidates, there remain no registered candidates who did not receive deputy seats, the undistributed deputy seats shall remain vacant until the next elections of deputies of the State Duma, with the exception of cases referred to in Clause 10 of the present Article.

10. If, as the result of implementation of requirements set forth in Clause 9 of the present Article, the State Duma still does not possess the number of deputies sufficient to make it legally competent, the undistributed deputy seats are allotted to the federal lists of candidates which were not admitted to distribution of deputy seats in accordance with the requirements set forth in Clauses 7 to 9, Article 82 of the present Federal Law and which had received the number of votes exceeding the first electoral quotient. In this case each of the said lists is entitled to the number of deputy seats not exceeding the number of deputy seats which it could have received were it admitted to distribution of deputy seats along with the federal lists of candidates referred to in Clauses 7 to 9, Article 82 of the present Federal Law (taking into account the deputies mandates received in accordance with article 82.1 of this Federal Law). Such deputy seats are distributed among the federal lists which were not admitted to distribution of deputy mandates in accordance with the requirements set forth in Clauses 7 to 9, Article 82 of the present Federal Law, and which had received the number of votes exceeding the first electoral quotient, in proportion to the number of votes received be them and according to the procedure of deputy seats distribution set forth in the present Article.