The Federation Council is the upper house of Russia, founded on 12 December 1993 as the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Russia. The council has 170 seats, with two representatives from each of Russia's 85 federal subjects being represented in the council. Apart from its inaugural election, there have not been any elections to the assembly, as federal subjects choose their own representatives. The representatives are supposed to be nonpartisan, but many hold their own party-based beliefs.