Politics in Russia
Political Parties and Elections
Important political change
• Democratization of political system
– introduction of competitive elections
– shift from a single-party system to a multiparty
system
Transformation of party system
• Communist Party of Soviet Union used to
dominate state and social institutions
– no competition for political office
– no mechanism to ensure accountability
– party authority couldn’t be openly questioned
• confusing array of political organizations
have run candidates in elections since ’93
New political parties
• government efforts at tightening the
conditions for party formation and
registration
– effect on small parties
– effect on party coalitions
• suppress democratic representation?
• bring order to a chaotic and fragmented
party structure?
Russian political parties
• generally form around a prominent
individual
• are generally associated with prominent
political figures
– increased political fragmentation
• do not have a firm social base or stable
constituency
• a major cleavage: economic policy
4 main categories of parties
• reformist parties
– democracy and market
• centrist parties
– “parties of power”
• communist parties
– Communist Party of the Russian Federation
• nationalist parties
– Liberal Democratic Party of Russia
Reformist parties
• liberal democracy
– dismantle political framework of socialism
– guarantee individual freedom
– rule of law
• market economy
– open and free market
– property rights
• Union of Right Forces and Yabloko
Communist Party of the R.F.
Communist Party of the R.F.
• Major successor party to the CPSU
– oppose radical market reforms
– oppose privatization programs
– oppose Western influence
• most party-like of all parties
– substantial organizational base
– well-defined electoral following
– large (but old) membership (~ 500,000)
Communist Party of the R.F.
• CPRF
– rather stable electoral
share
– but unlikely to win
parliamentary majority
or presidency
• CPRF leader Zyuganov
– 1996 and 2000
presidential elections
Yeltsin campaign in 1996
• Public opinion polls
– 24% supported Zyuganov
– 8% supported Yeltsin
Economic reforms
• Macro-economic stabilization
– structural adjustment
•
•
•
•
cut state spending
increase taxation
end price controls
open trade
– “shock therapy”
• all “shock” but no “therapy”
• Privatization
Centrist parties: a paradox
• Surveys indicate that voters would favor
policies and values at the political center
– e.g. social democratic party
• but no one has succeeded in creating a
major, lasting centrist party
– social welfare state
– political freedoms
– private property rights
Centrist “parties of power”
• Our Home is Russia (1995 - )
– pro-government
– centrist
– moderately reformist
– then Prime Minister headed it
– never succeeded in defining a clear program
– became a coalition of officeholders
Unity (“United Russia”)
• Formed 3 months before 1999 election
• active assistance from
– then President Yeltsin
– then Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
• received 23.3% of the vote in 1999
Power transition in 1999-2000
• State Duma tried to impeach President
Yeltsin but didn’t gather enough votes
• Yeltsin announced that he would resign
• Presidential election
• 2000-03-06
• Vladimir Putin
“parties of power”
• Parties depend on official support
• avoid building independent bases of
organizational support
• policy positions are vague
• vanish when the major sponsors lose
power
• Unity would disintegrate if President Putin
were to lose power or popular support
Social bases of party support
Electoral rules for State Duma
• Similar to Germany’s hybrid system
• each voter has 2 votes
– 1 for a candidate for that district’s seat
– 1 for a registered party on the party list
• half of Duma (225 seats) elected from
single-member districts
• half of Duma (225 seats) selected by
parties according to vote share (> 5%)
1999 State Duma election
2003 State Duma Election
100%
others
21%
94
3
4
37
Union of Right Forces
80%
4%
4.30%
70%
9%
36
Yabloko
60%
11.50%
51
90%
Rodina
50%
12.60%
Liberal Democrats
40%
222
30%
Communists
37.60%
20%
United Russia
10%
0%
Votes
Seats
Pro-government majority
• President Putin and his government could
generally count on majority support
• pro-government deputies depend on the
Kremlin for political support
• little effect on the makeup of government
– administrators with no partisan affiliation
– almost none were drawn from parliament
Putin and Stability
• Popular and effective politician
• Has strengthened institutions despite
lingering social economic problems
• Has built up the power of the Kremlin and
other parts of the central government
• Has undermined aspects of democracy
• without removing basic freedoms or
eliminating competitive elections.