The Stabilization of Authoritarian Rule in Russia?

Abstract

The outcome of the 2011 Duma election and the protests that followed it seemed to call into question the Russian electoral authoritarian regime. This paper analyses the arguments surrounding this question, concentrating upon problems in the structure of the regime, the nature of the protests, and the attitudinal base upon which they rest. It concludes that the greatest challenge to regime stability and durability lies in the deficiencies in the way the electoral authoritarian system functions rather than in the protest activity.