The Study of Russian Electoral Behavior: A Sociocultural Approach

Abstract

The political process in Russia depends largely on the behavior of political actors, especially those in power. The events of recent years demonstrate how much power determines the country's political life. These events include Yeltsin's victory in the 1996 presidential elections, the success of Unity [Edinstvo] in December 1999, and the president's unexpected resignation on 31 December 1999, which profoundly altered the deployment of political forces established in the preceding Duma elections. It often seems—and this opinion is already entrenched in the public mind—that the executive branch has a decisive influence on Russian politics.