The Loris-Melikov Constitutional Project: An Attempt to Form Parliamentarism in the Russian Empire

The article provides a historical and legal analysis of the document «Report on the involvement of representatives of the population in legislative activities» by M. T. Loris-Melikov. It is known that constitutional projects were drafted in the Russian Empire by S. E. Desnitsky, M. M. Speransky, N. N. Novosiltsev. However, the initiatives of these figures were rejected by the sovereigns, since the tsarism that existed in Russia did not tolerate the distribution of state power between various institutions. The project authored by M. T. Loris-Melikov was characterized by a focus on attracting elected representatives to the legislative processes. It should be noted that it was approved by Alexander II and had a chance to be implemented. The author highlights the importance of Loris-Melikov›s work since the implementation of the provisions of the draft of the Minister of Internal Affairs could contribute to the formation of parliamentarism in Russia and the formation of the state on the path of constitutional monarchy within the framework of the general liberalization and democratization of state institutions during the Great Reforms of Alexander II. The author believes that the study of the so-called Loris-Melikov Constitution can contribute to a deeper consideration of the controversial process of the formation of Russian parliamentarism; hence, according to the author, there is a research interest in the issues considered in the article.

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