Duma

 Below, Bard/Gemini on elections to the Russian Federation Lower House:

My prompt: Russian Federation, tell me about the lower House and how its members are elected.

 The Lower House of the Russian Federation: The State Duma

The lower house of the Russian Federation is called the **State Duma**. It is one of the two chambers that make up the Federal Assembly, the country's national parliament. 

Here's an overview of the State Duma:

Number of Members: 450

Term Length: 5 years

Responsibilities:

Approving laws proposed by the president or the government.

Ratifying international treaties.

Approving the government's budget.

Appointing and dismissing certain high officials, including the Chairman of the Central Bank.

Approving the appointment of the Prime Minister by the President.

Exercising control over the government's activities.

How are members elected?

State Duma members are elected through a mixed electoral system:

225 seats: Elected in single-member constituencies using a **first-past-the-post** system. In this system, the candidate who receives the most votes in their constituency wins the seat, even if they don't have a majority.

225 seats: Elected through proportional representation from party lists. Parties that receive at least 5% of the national vote are eligible to receive seats based on their share of the vote.

**Key Points to Consider:**

* The last election for the State Duma was held in September 2021.

* The dominant political party, United Russia, holds a supermajority in the Duma.

* The 2021 election was marred by widespread accusations of fraud and restrictions on opposition candidates.

* The electoral system favors larger, established parties and makes it difficult for new or smaller parties to gain representation.

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