Political parties participation in federal elections

A political party is a public association created for enabling citizens of the Russian Federation to participate in the political life of society by shaping and expressing their political will, to participate in public and political events, in elections, referenda and also for representing the interests of citizens in the bodies of state power and bodies of local self-government.

A political party shall meet the following requirements:

• a political party shall have regional branches in more than a half of the subjects of the Russian Federation; only one regional branch of the given political party may be created in any one subject of the Russian Federation

• a political party shall have not less than fifty thousand party members and regional branches, each with not less than five hundred party members, in more than a half of the subjects of the Russian Federation. Each one of the other regional branches shall have not less than two hundred and fifty members of the political party. A citizen of the Russian Federation may be a member of only one political party. A member of a political party may be registered with only one regional branch of the given political party at the place where he or she resides permanently or most of the time;

• the leading and other bodies of a political party, its regional branches and other structural subdivisions shall be located in the territory of the Russian Federation.