Local self-government in the Russian Federation: the essence, features, features

Local self-government in the Russian Federation is a form of exercise by citizens of their right to govern the country guaranteed by the Constitution and the state . This form ensures the adoption and implementation by people of decisions related to the management of a particular municipal entity in the interests of the population living here.

The main sources regulating local self-government in the RF include, in addition to the basic law of the state, the European Charter on the basics of organizing these authorities, as well as the federal law regulating the activities of local authorities.

It is in the Constitution that the basic guarantees of local self-government in Russia are enshrined. First of all, they should include legal recognition of local authorities as independent and not directly related to state authorities. In addition to legal, there are financial guarantees for the implementation of local government, which include the right to own, dispose and use municipal property, including with the purpose of extracting income from it. In addition, heads of municipalities have the right to take part of taxes (for example, land) to the local treasury in order to carry out their activities.

Local self-government in the Russian Federation is carried out both directly by means of holding a referendum on various issues, and through representatives who are elected in the manner prescribed by federal law.

The basis of local authorities in our country is a municipal entity. It may include a rural or urban settlement, a district, a district or an intra-urban territory that has a special federal status. Any municipal entity should have a certain economic and financial independence, its powers should be strictly delimited not only with neighboring entities, but also with regional and federal authorities.

For the modern model of local self-government in Russia is characterized by the search for the most optimal means and methods for managing certain territories. At the same time, the development of this level of state power as a whole is taking place within the framework of global trends, which determine the four main components in the activities of local authorities.

First, any government, including local authorities, must act in strict compliance with the law. Moreover, the actions of the central government in relation to municipal entities should not go beyond the framework of normative and legal acts .

Secondly, the normal functioning of local self-government is impossible without the right to dispose of material and economic resources. Lack of autonomy or lack of resources usually leads to a decrease in managerial discipline among local leaders, to the fact that they begin to focus on regional authorities, rather than on the needs of the local population.

Thirdly, the power in the municipality must necessarily have an elective character, so that any leader feels responsible just before his constituents.

Finally, fourthly, local self-government in the Russian Federation should be organized taking into account the historical and cultural traditions that exist in the region.