Until 1990, Chukotka was administrated under Magadan Oblast, but a law passed that year allowed this arrangement to be altered.

Chukotka declared its administrative independence from Magadan Oblast to join the Russian Federation as an autonomous okrug.

[4] During the Russian constitutional crisis of 1993, the legislative body of Russia was dissolved and power was decentralized to the individual federal subjects by a presidential decree (No. 1617).

[6] The Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Duma is unicameral, like most legislative assembly bodies of Russian federal subjects.

The executive branch is also known as the government of Chukotka and is headed by the governor, who is the highest-ranking person in the okrug.