The Referendum and Its Legal Significance in Constitutional Development of the Russian Federation

The purpose of the research. The article is devoted to the referendum and its legal significance in the constitutional development of the Russian Federation. Approaches to the definition of a referendum are presented. The problems in the definition of a referendum are determined, the author's concept of the category "referendum" is given. The problems and significance of the implementation of the referendum in the Russian Federation are highlighted. The types of referendums in the Russian Federation are analyzed. Federal, regional and municipal referendums are characterized. The significance of referendums with the question of joining the Russian Federation is considered. The purpose of the study is to study the concept of a referendum, the problems and the significance of the implementation of a referendum in the Russian Federation. The article uses dialectical, historical, formal-legal, logical, comparative-legal and other methods of cognition. Results. For today's constitutional development of Russia, the referendum is one of the most important opportunities where people can express their attitude on the most important issues of public life. The basis for holding a referendum in Russia is the realization of the constitutional right of citizens to participate in a referendum. In the modern constitutional development of Russia, a referendum should become one of the main forms of citizens' participation in the management of state affairs. The 1993 Constitution of Russia, as amended in 2020, defines a two-tier system of public power (state and municipal). The referendum has not yet found proper implementation at the levels of federal and regional state authorities, as well as at the level of municipal authorities.

referendum, constitution, state, Russian Federation, legisla-tion, state power, municipal power