The Communist Party of the Russian Federation

If you were to rank Russia's political parties by their most visible attributes, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) would definitely be Russia's most boring. The party, which is an indispensable actor within Russia's political scene, does not distinguish itself with ideological innovation, new slogans, charismatic political leaders, or prominent activism in parliament or beyond. To the contrary, the Communists sadly and boringly repeat in various forums official Soviet-style propaganda clichés; second-tier Soviet era bureaucrats have led the party for nearly two decades; and all criticism directed against the 'criminal regime in Russia remains primitive and ineffective. Accordingly, the KPRF cannot present an alternative to the existing authorities that would be attractive to the Russian elite or society at large. Nevertheless, the Levada Center public opinion polls regularly show that the party's public support is stable at 15-20 percent and no one doubts that the party will preserve its seats in the new State Duma to be elected in December 2011. But, of course, these figures do not compare with the party's 'golden age in 1996, when the KPRF and its allies controlled nearly half the seats in parliament and party leader Gennady Zyuganov was the front-runner in that year's presidential elections. What explains the KPRF's current situation and what can be expected from it in the future?