Constitutional Reform in Russia: Searching for National Identity

Abstract

The axiological foundations of modern constitutionalism are considered. The conclusion based on a study of world experience in constitutional development is made that there is a general trend to replenish the value catalog of constitutions, taking into account the historical experience accumulated by states and national priorities. The perception of national values in the constitutional evolution of Russia is traced; the role of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, which gives impetus to the formation and understanding of the concept of national constitutional identity, is emphasized. As a result of an interdisciplinary analysis, including the methodology of historical, philosophical, and legal sciences, an assessment is given of changes to the Basic Law of the Russian Federation in 2020, which in their significance and depth are close to constitutional reform. The content of amendments to the 1993 Constitution is analyzed. The amendments will come into force based on the results of the all-Russian vote. The Russian Basic Law is noted to have acquired the properties of a program document, educational-motivating attitudes, and a pronounced socio-value filling. The amendments consolidate the existing mutual understanding of the state and its citizens in relation to basic values, as a result of which the Constitution becomes a moral reference point for Russian society, reflecting its ideals and traditional features of collective consciousness. At the same time, in the process of constitutional improvement of the mechanisms of public authority, Russia is developing its own national constitutional model, corresponding to the domestic mentality and new requirements of state security. In general, this should contribute to the establishment of a multicivilizational model of the world structure, which implies the equality of different cultures and civilizations and the diversity of national sociocultural values.