№ 6 - 2006
Kynev A.V.
Political Parties in Russian Regions: a View in the Light of the Regional Electoral Reform

The subject researched in the article is the influence of a series of the 2001 to 2006 reforms which have radically changed the party and electoral legislation at the all-Russian and at the regional levels, on the electoral process in RF subjects. Drawing in the results of his analyzing the course of regional elections and ways and modes of the formation of regional party lists, the author demonstrates that notwithstanding the increase of administrative control over the available election players and the decrease of regional party structures’ independence, specific regional interests and elites do not disappear, but just mimic, in imitation, the changed rules, providing the federal center with the illusion of managing the process. The hitherto public mechanisms turn into shadow ones and the de facto existing groups are waging hidden struggle this time within the “Unified Russia”. According to the author’s conclusion, the Russian parties, though considered federal, remain in practice deeply regionalized. Russian regions’ extreme diversity, their setting themselves ever more apart from one another create a natural barrier in the way of establishing total federal control over what is going on in the provinces.