Putin and the Parliamentary Elections in Russia: The Confluence (Slijanie) of Russian Political Culture and Leadership
Author(s)
Kernen, Beat
Abstract
Assesses political attitudes in contemporary Russia putting Russian elections into a more comprehensive framework and interpreting the results from a historical perspective on Russian political trends. The emergence of authoritarianism in post-Soviet Russia is traced to the bombing of the White House in 1993 to force the passage of the new constitution through parliament and moving into the formation of Russia’s political parties. Next examined is the effect on the sociopolitical climate by the introduction of “shock therapy” to Russia’s economy and the emergence of nationalism, evident by the increased support for radical nationalist parties in the 1993 and 1995 elections. The rise of the Communist Party in 1999 and the overwhelming support for Putin’s United Russia Party in 2003 are addressed before discussing future political trends and the role the Duma can actually play against an omnipotent executive such as Putin.
