December 12 marks the day, in 1993, when the Constitution of the Russian Federation was adopted.

On December 12, 1993, Russia held a nationwide constitutional referendum, in which a total of 58,187,755 voters, or 54.8 percent of the registered electorate, took part. In all, 32,937,630 people (58.4 percent) voted in favor of the document.

On September 19, 1994, Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree proclaiming December 12 a national holiday.

The current Russian Constitution was drafted and approved during a series of negotiations between the executive branch, in the person of President Boris Yeltsin, and the legislative branch, in the person of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation. The Constitution is based on several sources including the draft document of the Constitutional Commission of the Supreme Soviet (the so-called “Rumyantsev draft document”) and a document drafted by the Constitutional Conference, convened under Yeltsin’s order.