Publication

The topic of this issue is the Russian Regions after the Elections of the Unified Voting Day 2020 (11–13 September). Firstly, Andrei Semenov describes the outcomes of the subnational elections and argues that although the results confirmed the dominance of regime-​backed candidates, long-​term changes in the electorate’s preferences and tactical innovations employed by the opposition foreshadow a major battle over the parliamentary elections in 2021. Secondly, Mikhail Turchenko posits that the three-​day voting scheme helped the Kremlin to maintain control over all gubernatorial offices, as well as over all regional parliaments and a majority of city councils in regional capitals, while Alexei Navalny’s “smart vote” initiative was effective in big cities. Thirdly, Guzel Garifullina argues that technocratic selection is being used for the wrong offices or being applied selectively, rendering it useless or even harmful. Finally, Andrey Yushkov describes changes in regional public finance from 2012 to 2019.