Putin addresses the Russian Duma

Steve Rosenberg: In the 1990s it was too busy trying to impeach former president, Boris Yeltsin, to concern itself with passing laws. But not this Duma. After December's parliamentary election it's dominated by deputies loyal to the Kremlin. So it was fitting that one of this new Duma's first visitors was President Putin. In a speech at the parliament's opening session Mr Putin congratulated deputies on their election, referring to those often stormy parliamentary sessions during the days of Boris Yeltsin. Russia's current leader noted that the country had changed since the first Russian Duma appeared ten years ago. In that time, the President said, parliament had moved away from political confrontation to constructive legislative work. VOCABULARY a battering ram - beran, beranidlo - na rozrážení dveří it seems like only yesterday - jakoby to bylo včera to impeach - pohnat před soud, obvinit vysoce postaveného politika z velezrady nebo ho obžalovat ze zneužití státní moci, úplatkářství či pro neschopnost stormy sessions - bouřlivá zasedání cloudy - nejasný, zmatený