Russian Journal of Comparative Law

71-77

Authors: Sadik Haxhiu, Fejzulla Berisha

Gender representation in public institutions is an immediate goal in modern democracies. Efforts targeting this goal can be implemented in various forms of lobbying such as: international women's mobility for gender equality, international gender equality associations, or through the definition of domestic legislation by applying constitutional, legal and party quotas for the representation of women in public institutions. Some states guarantee gender representation in legislative and executive bodies in their constitutions while others in ordinary laws. Gender representation in representative bodies through constitutional quotas is more advanced than gender mainstreaming in executive bodies. The efforts of women to be represented in public institutions through voluntary contributions from political parties have encouraged women to be an active part of public life through political parties. In contemporary world due to establishing constitutional, legal, or party quotas a sufficiently satisfying percentage of females is actively integrated in public institutions, gaining mandates of MPs in representative bodies, as well as senior positions in government and other executive bodies. Through affirmation of female gender representation in public institutions in some countries of the world we have women as speakers of parliament, presidents of the states, prime ministers, and political party leaders. The focus of this article is on representation of women in legislative and executive bodies through constitutional, legal, and party quotas.

88-95

Authors: Alexander N. Pisarev

The article overviews the topical issues of transition from optional to mandatory and preliminary judicial control carried out by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation which allows securing constitutionality of federal constitutional laws and federal laws based on blanket regulations of the Constitution. The author analyses general characteristics of the European (continental, concentrated) model of constitutional control, as well as particular features of its organization and implementation in selected European states which are largely determined by the peculiarities of the adopted form of government. Taking into consideration the similarity of constitutional system of state authority organization in the Russian Federation and the semi-presidential model of the republican form of government which is fulfilled in the constitutional system of many countries of Western Europe and, especially France, it is proposed to use the French model of the judicial control organization as regards the positive experience of the French Constitutional Council in implementation of preliminary and mandatory constitutional control over organic laws.

103-105

Authors: Pavel Biriukov

The author elaborates on the legal standing of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under the European Convention on Human Rights. This objective of this book is to reveal the unique status of the NGOs in proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights. The significance of their status as enshrined by the European Convention is much stronger in comparison with international regulation stipulated by other central human rights treaties. Special attention is paid to exploring the status of non-governmental organisations acting in the capacity of an applicant. The author shows that not all the procedural rights set forth by the European Convention can be effectively implemented by the NGOs. Yet the author scrutinizes the best practices of involvement of NGOs in the process having been able to attain significant amounts of just satisfaction for victims of violations.