POLITICAL RELIGION IN RUSSIA. THE CONSTITUTION 1993 AS A HOLY SCRIPTURE

The article examines the discursive status of the constitution in the Russian political system. Starting from Ernst-Wolfgang Bockenforde's affirmation that the liberal state is not able to guarantee its own premises, it is argued that many contemporary states use political ceremonies in order to veil this paradox. A case in point is the inaugurational oath of office in the USA, which usually is taken on the bible. In Russia, the president takes his oath on a special copy of the Russian constitution which functions as a kind of a Holy Scripture. Generally, the constitution plays an important role in Russia not only in the legal system, but also in the political religion that reassures the social legitimacy of Putin's power.