Contemporary Regional Politics in Russia

A Chronicle of Degradation

Author(s): Grigorii Golosov
Editor(s): Stephen Aris, Matthias Neumann, Robert Orttung, Jeronim Perovic, Heiko Pleines, Hans-Henning Schröder
Series: Russian Analytical Digest (RAD)
Issue: 77
Pages: 10-13
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich; Research Centre for East European Studies, University of Bremen; Institute of History, University of Basel
Publication Year: 2010

When Putin cancelled the gubernatorial elections, he changed the way regional politics operate, but did not fundamentally transform the system in which the governor is the predominant actor at the regional level. The combination of gubernatorial elections and proportional representation at the regional level had been starting to build a political process of compromise among various parties, but the cancellation of the gubernatorial elections prevented these processes from evolving further. Now, the governors have a strong political interest in making sure that United Russia wins as many seats as possible. However, at the Kremlin's orders, they must do so in a way that gives the electoral process the appearance of legitimacy.

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