Center for Security Studies

Navalny’s Campaign to be Moscow Mayor

Navalny’s Campaign to be Moscow Mayor

Author(s): Robert W. Orttung
Editor(s): Stephen Aris, Matthias Neumann, Robert Orttung, Jeronim Perovic, Heiko Pleines, Hans-Henning Schröder, Aglaya Snetkov
Series: Russian Analytical Digest (RAD)
Issue: 136
Pages: 2-5
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich; Research Centre for East European Studies, University of Bremen; Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, George Washington University
Publication Year: 2013

According to the official results of the Moscow mayoral elections held on September 8, 2013, acting Mayor Sergei Sobyanin won 51.37% of the vote and his main challenger Alexey Navalny won 27.24% with a turnout of 32%. By crossing the 50% barrier, Sobyanin avoided a runoff in which he would have competed head-to-head with the second place finisher. Navalny refused to recognize the results, claiming that Sobyanin and his Kremlin allies have falsified the totals to ensure that there would be no second round. While the consequences of the elections for Russia’s political system remain unclear, it is possible to evaluate the nature of Navalny’s campaign. This article compares Navalny’s technique to President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection effort, arguably one of the most sophisticated campaigns yet run in the history of democracy. Navalny’s efforts naturally fall short given the harsh conditions in which he was working, but ultimately he has presented an alternative to the existing system in Russia.

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