Party Politics in Russia and Ukraine

Abstract

Party Politics in Russia and Ukraine examines how political parties navigate major election reforms by comparing two strikingly similar electoral system changes that occurred at roughly the same time in two states with diverging regime trajectories, Russia and Ukraine. The electoral system changes under investigation are notable because they are not the type of reform that scholars interested in advancing the cause of democracy would prescribe; neither do they constitute the type of system that scholars who study the consolidation of authoritarian rule would expect. The changes are not only inherently intriguing; comparing the two also opens the door for new lines of inquiry. The first five chapters of Party Politics in Russia and Ukraine investigate the politics of candidate selection as a substantively important process that offers insight into party goals and tactics as incumbent legislators and parties seek to advance their electoral prospects under the new rules. While these chapters focus on party list construction as a process that facilitates comparison across the two countries, the next two tackle more context-specific consequences. Chapter 6 uses the Russian experience to demonstrate how authoritarian regimes may combine electoral system reform with other institutional changes to consolidate power. Chapter 7 draws on postelection developments in Ukraine to illustrate how electoral system reform may fall short of producing the changes in elite behavior deemed necessary for democratic consolidation. Party Politics in Russia and Ukraine is a reminder that the consequences of electoral rules often reflect how power is configured at the time those rules are implemented.