Political Survival of Russian Governors in the Early XXI Century

• In Event: Politics of Communist & Former Communist Countries Virtual Poster Session I

Abstract

The model of Russian gubernatorial appointments has changed three times: from 1995 to 2005, governors were elected by direct, secret and equal voting; from 2005 to 2012, they were appointed by legislative bodies under President’s tight control; from 2012 to the present the model of direct elections of top regional officials has returned. The election of a governor has been used as a tool for removing incompetent or disloyal leaders from power. It is essential to distinguish groups of heads of regions with the longest terms of stay in power. The regional leaders can be judged on their effectiveness of their work. Thus, the phenomenon of political longevity of governors can be considered as an indicator of the stabilization of regional political processes, as well as a sign of established harmonious relations between the region and the federal center. Therefore, the factors of political survival can shed more light on the recruitment of top Russian regional officials and changing preferences of the Kremlin establishing more control over regions and local elites. All Russian regions and their leaders in the post-Soviet period have been selected. Russian legislative acts, governor’s biographic data, Rosstat statistics and electoral results are also included in the dataset. The data analysis also includes comparison with the leaders selected in the Soviet period. The study also attempts to examine legislative framework and identify factors influencing the duration of political longevity of governors in all Russian regions.

Author

• Mikhail Leonidovich Rybalko, Irkutsk State University