Established on Dec. 12, 1993, the Moscow City Duma is the city’s supreme and the only permanently operating legislative and representative state body.

The Moscow City Duma comprises 35 deputies working on a permanent basis.

The Duma handles the city’s draft budget, both approving and supervising the budget’s execution.

The laws developed by the Duma determine regional and local taxes, charges and terms of granting related benefits, as well as specific rates and tax benefits on federal taxes within the rights provided by federal laws to constituent entities.

The Duma establishes activities of local governing bodies and the terms of distributing revenues from regional taxes and charges and Moscow’s other revenues between the budgets of the city and municipalities.

As the state representative body of Russia’s constituent entity, the Moscow City Duma grants permission for appointing the city’s prosecutor, and appoints and dismisses Moscow’s human rights ombudsman within the terms established by city law.

The Duma appoints Moscow’s justices of peace within the terms established by city law, and vests the Moscow mayor with authorities upon the recommendation of the president and within federal law and Moscow regulations.

As the legislative body of Russia’s constituent entity, the Moscow City Duma has the right to legislative initiative in the State Duma, or the lower house of the parliament (Federal Assembly), and the right to elect its representative in the Federation Council, or the upper house, within the terms established by federal law and Moscow legislative acts.