Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
On December 12, 2025, the 19th International Academic Conference on "Current Issues of Parliamentarism: History and Modernity" was held at the Tauride Palace. The conference brought together a wide range of scholars, researchers, experts, and participants in legislative and parliamentary activities from many Russian cities—Moscow, St. Petersburg, Perm, Novosibirsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl—as well as from Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan. Novosibirsk State University was represented at the event by Igor Kravets, Doctor of Law, Professor, Head of the Department of Constitutional and Municipal Law, and Chief Research Fellow. Institute of Philosophy and Law of NSU.
The plenary session took place in the Duma hall, where the State Duma of the Russian Empire previously met at the beginning of the 20th century.
Traditionally, special attention at the Tauride Readings is given to six research and information blocks:
The article covers the history of the State Duma of the Russian Empire and its relationship with the State Council at the beginning of the 20th century; the electoral process in the regions of the Russian Empire during the elections of deputies to the State Duma; the work and role of the Congresses of People's Deputies of the USSR and the RSFSR at the end of the 20th century, when a two-tier legislative system was in effect, the USSR collapsed, and a new system of state and legal interaction in the post-Soviet space was being established; the experience of modern parliamentarism in the CIS and BRICS countries, including the procedure for organizing and holding elections, the digitalization of parliamentary activity, the interaction of parliaments with governments and civil society, and the development of international inter-parliamentary structures; the formation of parliamentary biographies based on the personal and professional experience of individual State Duma deputies, the procedure for interaction with government institutions and civil society; the role of archival, memoir, and journalistic sources in covering the parliamentary history of Russia.
Igor Kravets presented a paper on "Parliamentary Digital Platforms and the Future of Latin American Constitutionalism," exploring the prospects for using and developing digital platforms for interaction between parliamentarians, citizens, experts, and civil society institutions in legislative activities. The paper presented the results of two years of work that Igor Kravets has been leading as the project manager for a project supported by the Russian Science Foundation (RSF).No. 23-28-00627), – “Communicative constitutionalism and constitutional mobilization: the problem of deliberative participation in the public and information space and the transformation of the public authority system (concepts, norms and institutional mechanisms).
In preparing this report, we used original sources (translations from English, Spanish, and Portuguese) and materials collected during the monitoring of the websites of parliaments of individual Latin American states (Brazil, Chile), as well as the scientific works of Russian and Latin American authors.
"The study of new Latin American parliamentarism and constitutionalism is relevant in the context of comparison with the experiences of other BRICS countries, including Russia, China, South Africa, and Brazil. Expanding forms of citizen participation in parliamentary activities and constitutional amendments is not only an innovation in the subregion (Latin America), increasing the engagement and awareness of citizens and experts, but also an international trend in light of digitalization and constitutional and parliamentary inclusion," explained Igor Kravets.
Following his presentation, Igor Kravets proposed measures to improve the effectiveness of institutional and communications interactions between public authorities and citizens, on the one hand, and parliamentary institutions (federal, regional, and municipal levels) and the subjects of various legislative initiatives, on the other. These measures include:
Create a regulatory framework and technological solutions in the field of digital platforms (including crowdsourcing platforms) for interaction between citizens and deputies (at various levels) in the area of discussion and adoption of various regulatory legal acts through interactive discussion and voting.
Create e-citizenship and e-democracy platforms in representative institutions (at the federal, regional, and municipal levels) for the participation of citizens and lawmakers in the legislative and regulatory process in order to increase social responsibility, solidarity, and accountability of representative institutions in the area of legislative activity.
On the website of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly (in particular, the control committee), create an interactive portal for discussion with the participation of citizens and other interested parties (from the professional community, civil society institutions) of the results of the implementation of parliamentary control and parliamentary investigations.
Expand information accessibility for citizens and civil society institutions regarding the results of work on parliamentary and deputy inquiries (currently, such inquiries are posted on the website, but the results of their implementation are not available for review or participation in discussions).
"The Tauride Readings allow us to share the research findings of many Russian and international scholars, as well as the experiences of practicing deputies and parliamentary institutions. Within the walls of the Tauride Palace, the history and contemporary spirit of parliamentary institutions are preserved. Each visit offers a new perspective, revealing new facets of parliamentary life in Russia and abroad through the perspectives of those who have created and continue to create the history of parliamentarism in both domestic and comparative dimensions," Igor Kravets emphasized.
Next year, the 20th anniversary conference "Tavrichesky Readings" will take place, in which Igor Kravets also plans to participate.
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