Voting behaviour in Russian cities, 1995–2000

Abstract

In the first decade of post-Soviet Russia, voting patterns began to crystallize in the presidential elections of 1996 and 2000 and the elections to the State Duma in 1995 and 1999. Analysis of political activity, electoral preferences and stability of voting in cities with populations of more than 100,000 inhabitants by regions and in comparison with Moscow and St Petersburg reveals distinct, if changing, patterns. In particular, voting appears to be influenced, in part at least, by the size of a city and by regional political cultures. Indeed, it is possible to suggest an electoral typology of large cities: most cities with a population of more than one million and the main cities of large economic regions vote in a similar ‘liberal’ way, regardless of their location; by contrast, in cities with a population of between 500,000 and one million, and especially below 500,000, voters appear to be influenced by features of the regional political culture.