Who Governs?

The Transformation of Sub-Regional Political Regimes in Russia (1991-2009)

Author(s): D. G. Seltser
Editor(s): Stephen Aris, Matthias Neumann, Robert Orttung, Jeronim Perovic, Heiko Pleines, Hans-Henning Schröder
Series: Russian Analytical Digest (RAD)
Issue: 67
Pages: 5-9
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich; Research Centre for East European Studies, University of Bremen
Publication Year: 2009

In the post-Soviet period, Russia's city and local district leaderships were variously appointed (1991-1994/1996) and elected (4 election cycles: 1994-1996; 1998-2001; 2003-2005; 2008-2010), leading to significant changes in these leaderships. Based on the oblasts of Ryazan, Samara, Tambov, and Ulyanovsk and the republics of Mordovia, Udmurtia and Chuvashia, this article examines the political transformations of local government regimes through an analysis of elites. It seeks to address the following questions: What changes have occurred in the make-up of city and district mayors? What are the dynamics for removing leaders? Who are these people? Who are their support base and who are they answerable to? Summarizing this data makes it possible to address the key question: Who makes political decisions in local government?

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