The Meaning of Elections in the Russian Federation

Abstract

There is extensive literature about the meaning of elections in non-democracies. The attention of scholars has to date largely been focused on the regime-sustaining and regime-subverting effects of elections in non-democracies and pseudo-democracies. This article goes beyond these two main trends to analyze the outcomes of elections in Russia's ‘hybrid’ regime. The democratic effect of elections frequently turns out to be secondary with respect to the oligarchic or even autocratic outcomes. In present-day conditions, the prospects for the institution of fair democratic elections are not in the interests of the autocracy and oligarchy. This research examines the evolution of the function of elections in post-Soviet Russia. The author suggests two new functions– stress relief and the expression of public opinion – in addition to the generally accepted typology of functions of elections in Russia.