Russian -Indian- US parliamentary system, as published in Times of India.

How is the Russian government system different from ours Like other commonwealth countries,the government structure in India is modelled on the UKs Westminster system.There is a head of state a monarch in Britain,and a president in our country who is ceremonial while the real power is with a parliament directly elected by the people.   The executive,which runs the country,must be made up of elected members of the legislature.   Russia on the other hand is a presidentialstyle democracy.However,unlike other such countries where the president is both head of state and government,the Russian president has to appoint a chairman who heads the government.   Unlike in the US,where the president is formally elected by an electoral college,the Russian president is elected by direct universal suffrage. What is role of the prime minister in Russia There is actually no such thing as the PM of Russia.The term is used colloquially for the chairman of the government,who may or may not be an elected member of the parliament,known as the Duma.The chairman is appointed by the president with the consent of the State Duma.The president has the right to appoint the chairman even when the candidate is opposed by the Duma. How does the Russian legislature function The federal assembly is a bicameral legislature.It has two houses the State Duma (lower) and the Council of Federation (higher).The members of the Duma are elected through direct universal suffrage.There are no direct elections for the Council.The council has two representatives from each constituent entity of the Russian Federation.One of them is elected by the state legislature while the other is nominated by the state government.The Duma has supreme legislative power.It can override the council and in special conditions force the president to sign a federal bill into law.The Duma can also initiate the impeachment of the president. How is Putin so powerful then Throughout his presidency,Putins predecessor,Boris Yeltsin,lacked the support of pro-Kremlin parties in the Duma and the Council.As a result,his regime was marred by difficulties in legislation.After becoming president,Putin consolidated his power.He changed the method of election of the members of the council ensuring that the upper house should have a majority of people who are loyal to him.To control the Duma,Kremlin heavily supported the United Russia party.