MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/. The foundations of Russia’s new statehood were laid back in the 1990s, even though not everyone followed the law back then, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the Council of Legislators, marking the 30th anniversary of Russia’s parliament.
The president pointed out that the adoption of Russia’s Constitution on December 12, 1993 and the establishment of the Federal Assembly "were, without exaggeration, of paramount importance," and became the basis to strengthen the statehood and the system of government in general, and that was crucial to restore public order.
"The judicial and legal foundations of the new statehood were created. That is what matters - the foundations were created as well as benchmarks. And then, being guided by these benchmarks, we, alongside the lawmakers at all levels, including regional parliaments, managed to gradually build up a constitutional order on this legal basis and the necessary compliance with these laws."
When speaking about the 1990s, Putin said, "I know that there are people in the audience who went through this, made those decisions and can say, 'Well, we passed these laws and so what? They were not obeyed.' They were not followed in some respects, but were followed in some other respects, and that is true. Many things were not followed, that is true."
"Nevertheless, had they (laws - TASS) not existed, there would have been no legal basis. It is a crucial event in the country’s life. The Constitution enshrined a key, fundamental norm, which says it is the people who are the embodiment of sovereignty and the sole source of power," Putin emphasized, adding that the 1993 Constitution included other important provisions, as it enshrined the guarantees of human rights and freedoms as well as the social and legal nature of the state, "which was of paramount importance for preservation.".