Chairman of the State Duma

The Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, also called Speaker, is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Russian parliament. It is the fourth highest position, after the President, the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Federation Council, in the government of Russia. His responsibilities include overseeing the day-to-day business of the State Duma, presiding and maintaining order at the regular sessions of the parliament. The Speaker also chairs the Council of the Duma which includes representatives from all the parliamentary parties and determines the legislative agenda. The Speaker of the Duma may intervene and express his views but is supposed to be unbiased in his activities at the regular sessions of the parliament. History The position Chairman of the State Duma was established in 1906, when the State Duma of the Russian Empire was established. The first chairman was Sergey Muromtsev. This position existed for 11 years during which five people held this position. It was abolished together with the State Duma after the Russian Revolution.