The Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia is a permanent supreme representative and the only legislative body of the Republic of Karelia. The Legislative Assembly comprises fifty deputies, which shall be elected on the basis of universal equal and direct suffrage with the use of secret voting. Term of office for a single convocation of deputies shall be five years. Deputies work in the Legislative Assembly both on a professional permanent basis and on free basis, leaving their main job (or service) only in times of sessions.

The number of deputies working in the Legislative Assembly on a professional permanent basis shall be established by the law of the Republik of Karelia and can not be more than one third of the established by the Constitution of the Republic of Karelia number of deputies.

The Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia shall adopt the Constitution of the Republic of Karelia and amendments thereto; exercise legislative control in the scope of jurisdiction of the Republic of Karelia and the scope of joint jurisdiction of the Russian Federation and the entities of the Russian Federation within authority of the Republic of Karelia; exercise other authorities stipulated by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the federal laws, the Constitution of the Republic of Karelia and other regional laws. The Legislative Assembly shall approve regional budget and report on its execution, programmes for social and economic development of the Republic of Karelia, submitted by the Head of the Republic.

The Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia also shall establish regional taxes and the procedure to collect the same; the procedure to control and dispose property of the Republic of Karelia, including interests (shares, stock) of the Republic of Karelia in capital of business companies, partnerships and enterprises of other legal forms. The Legislative Assembly shall call a referendum of the Republic of Karelia, establish the date of election to the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia, establish administrative and territorial structure of the Republic of Karelia and the procedure of its change.

The Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia shall establish state awards and honorary titles of the Republic of Karelia as well as the procedure of rewarding. It also shall establish administrative amenability for the infringement of the Constitution of the Republic of Karelia, laws and other normative acts of the Republic of Karelia.

Officials of the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia

The Constitutional Standing Committee

Chairman: Mazurovsky Andrey Afanasyevich

The Committee’s terms of reference cover the following matters:

• adoption of amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Karelia
• legislative regulation of the Constitutional Court activity
• appointment of the Chairman and judges of the Constitutional Court
• legislation on election of deputies to the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia
• legislation on election of deputies to the representative bodies, heads of municipalities, members of self-government elective bodies.
• legislation on referendums in the Republic of Karelia
• appointment of one half of the Election Commission member-staff

The Legality and Law Enforcement Standing Committee

Chairman – Zaykov Nikolay Nikolayevich

The Committee’s terms of reference cover the following matters:

• legality, law enforcement and human safety
• fire safety
• administrative, judicial law
• advocacy, notary services,
• appointment of the Prosecutor of the Republic of Karelia
• state awards and honorary titles of the Republic of Karelia
• appointment of magistrates
• observance of the Regulations of the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia
• observance of execution of the draft laws introduction procedure
• observance of execution of order and time of the draft laws consideration and adoption
• observance of execution of order of the draft federal laws passing
• matters of ethics
• use of electronic system of voting
• the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia Diploma of honor rewarding

The Standing Committee for State Structure, Local Self-Government and National Policy

Chairman – Ershov Nikolay Petrovich

The Committee’s terms of reference cover the following matters:

• state structure, state authorities of the Republic of Karelia
• local self-government of the Republic of Karelia
• administrative territorial structure of the Republic of Karelia
• national cooperation and national policy
• approving appointment of the Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Karelia, deputy Prime Ministers, Minister of Finance, Minister of Economy;
• vote of confidence\no confidence to the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Economy;
• appointment\dismissal of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Karelia
• approval of the treaty on changing borders of the Republic of Karelia;
• interaction with mass media of the Republic of Karelia

The Standing Committee for Economic Policy and Taxes

Chairman: Gennadi Netshajev

The Committee’s terms of reference cover the following matters:

• economic and financial policy
• privatization and real estate management
• investment policy
• crediting and banking
• securities
• business support and development
• tax system in the Republic of Karelia

The Standing Committee for Budget

Chairman: Tokareva Svetlana Evgenyevna

The Committee’s terms of reference cover the following matters:

• legislative support of the budgetary process and interbudgetary attitudes
• reviewing the draft budget of the Republic of Karelia and budget of non-budgetary funds
• financial control on approval and execution of the budget
• definition of legal status of Karelian legislative body, controlling regional budget execution
• reviewing reports on execution of regional budget and budgets of territorial state non-budgetary funds
• reviewing financial specifications, used in calculation of interbudgetary transfers

The Standing Committee for Agro-Industrial Policy and Village Development

Chairman: Fedotov Aleksey Vladimirovich

The Committee’s terms of reference cover the following matters:

• economic policy in agriculture of the Republic of Karelia
• support of agricultural enterprises of different forms of ownership
• regional special programs for development of agriculture and process industry
• social policy in villages
• control over use of agricultural lands

The Standing Committee for natural Resources and Ecology

Chairman: Denisov Evgeny Ivanovich

The Committee’s terms of reference cover the following matters:

• natural resources protection and reproduction
• use of natural resources
• interaction of society and environment

The Standing Committee for Social Policy

Chairman: Mrykhin Mikhail Ivanovich

The Committee’s terms of reference cover the following matters:

• social welfare
• protection of rights of family, women and children
• health protection
• medical ensurance
• medicament ensuring
• sanitary-epidemiological protection
• matters of labor and employment of population

The Standing Committee for Education, Culture and Youth Affairs

Chairman: Voroshilo Elena Mikhailovna

The Committee’s terms of reference cover the following matters:

• education and science
• physical culture and sport
• youth policy, youth recreation
• culture
• regional special programs for education, culture and youth affairs.

The Control and Audit Committee

Chairman: Kochneva Ludmila Sergeevna

The Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia carries out external state financial control on effectiveness and legality of the use of regional budget and budgets of non-budgetary funds according to current and perspective purposes of social and economic development, works on perfection of the budgetary legislation, observes principles of objectivity and publicity.

The Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia one of the first established Control and Audit Committee in 1994, which became a constantly operating body for direct state financial control.

Activity of the Committee is based on the principles of legality, objectivity, independence and publicity. Reports on all control actions, analytical notes on the budget execution, conclusions on draft laws must de submitted for consideration of the Legislative Assembly. Resolutions adopted by the Legislative Assembly contain offers for the Head of the Republic of Karelia, heads of executive authority and local self-government on elimination of the revealed imperfections and infringements.

Since1998 the Cooperation Agreement has been realized between the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia and the Audit Chamber of the Russian Federation.

In 2000 the Control and Audit Committee became a member of the Control and Audit Bodies Association of the Russian Federation.