what is duma

Duma is a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions. The term "boyar duma" is used to refer to advisory councils in Russia from the 10th to 17th centuries, while "city dumas" were formed across Russia starting in the 18th century. The first formally constituted state duma was the Imperial State Duma introduced to the Russian Empire by Emperor Nicholas II in 1905. Since 1993, the State Duma has functioned as the lower legislative house of the Russian Federation. The Duma constituted the lower house of the Russian parliament, and the State Council was the upper house. The Duma was established by Tsar Nicholas II in his October Manifesto (October 30, 1905), which promised that it would be a representative assembly and that its approval would be necessary for the enactment of legislation. The Fundamental Laws, issued in April 1906, before the First Duma met (May 1906), deprived it of control over state ministers and portions of the state budget and limited its ability to initiate legislation effectively.