In the 2007 and 2011 Russian legislative elections a full party-list proportional representation with 7% electoral threshold system was used, but this was subsequently repealed.

The establishment of the Duma after the 1905 Revolution was to herald significant changes to the previous Russian Imperial autocratic system.

Furthermore, the Duma was later to have an important effect on Russian history, as it was one of the contributing factors in the February Revolution of 1917, the first of two that year, which led to the abolition of the Tsarist autocracy in Russia and the overthrow of the Tsardom.

The balance of power lay with the sixty-four deputies of the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.

In addition to those eight parties, a pool of thirty-five deputies was entitled to form a registered group to reflect regional or sectoral interests.

The most important task was dividing up the chair positions in the Duma's twenty-three committees, which was done as part of a power-sharing "package" deal.

During the second half of the 1990s, the Duma became an important forum for lobbying by regional leaders and businessmen looking for tax breaks and legislative favors.

The work of the leading committees, such as those for defense, foreign affairs, or budget, attracted a good deal of media attention and lobbying activity.

After the 2003 elections, a dominant-party system was established with the newly formed pro-presidential United Russia party dominating.

During the presidency of Vladimir Putin, the State Duma became increasingly referred to as a rubber stamp,[8] with there being a shift to electoral authoritarianism.

A 2016 exposé by Dissernet showed that one in nine members of the State Duma had obtained academic degrees with theses that were substantially plagiarized and likely ghostwritten.

They are: The State Duma adopts decrees on issues relating to its authority by the Constitution of the Russian Federation.