Electoral Qualifications in the Frame of Exercising the Right to Active Suffrage in the Russian Federation: Legal Enshrinement and Development Trends

Introduction. Contemporary processes of nation building in Russia are related to rethinking of the fundamental principles of organization and functioning of the national state authority mechanism, primarily in the frame of exercising the constitutional rights citizens. In this context, the problem of legal nature of electoral qualifications, their doctrinal development, place in the system of constitutional law, and role in exercising the right of citizens to participate in the governance of state affairs, to vote and be elected to public bodies has become increasingly relevant. The aim of the article is to study the constitutional and legal nature of electoral qualifications in the frame of exercising the right to active suffrage in the contemporary democratic realities of the Russian Federation and to identify the trends of development of the above phenomena.
Materials and Methods. In the frame of the study, the publications of Russian and foreign authors on the definition of electoral qualifications in constitutional law science have been analysed. The research methodology was formed by a combination of philosophical, general scientific, and specific scientific methods, including description, comparison, classification, analysis, and generalization.
Results. The effect of electoral qualifications on the development of democratic society in the Russian Federation has been revealed, and attention focused on their specific types, such as age qualifications, citizenship qualifications, legal capacity qualifications, and others. The global trend toward democratization of elections has led to the abolition or significant reduction of discriminatory qualifications in most countries. The racial, gender, and property restrictions are being replaced by criteria based on the principles of universality, equality, transparency, and the like.
Discussion and Conclusion. Application of electoral qualifications in the frame of active suffrage in Russia requires a system approach and close attention on the part of the state and society. To ensure the rights and freedoms of citizens, the application of qualifications must be balanced, not excessive, and not become a tool of discrimination. It would be rational to accelerate the process of improving the legal regulation of these social relations taking into account the accumulated experience of the foreign countries. The theoretical provisions formulated in the present article can be used for further scientific research on this issue.

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