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Abstract
This study examines the support for United Russia in 43 regional assembly elections which were conducted over the period from March 2008 to March 2011. In contrast to previous studies, which have tended to focus on the overall results of regional elections or just on the party-list votes, it provides a quantitative analysis of the votes for United Russia in the plural single member district contests. By widening the traditional focus on the aggregate results and party-list voting the study brings to light important variations in the patterns of United Russia's electoral domination of regional assemblies. The specific form of United Russia's domination depends on the configuration of regional elites and their strategies. Social and economic features of the regions have little impact on the degree and modes of United Russia's electoral domination, but influence the ability of regional leaders to ensure electoral mobilisation in the regions and this is more significant the higher the level of the election.
Notes
1 In Amur Region UR won 17 of 36 seats; in the Republic of Kareliya 19 of 50 seats; and in St Petersburg 20 of 50 seats.
2 There is one notable exception here—see Reuter (Citation2010).
3 By the Centre we mean the Kremlin and the top party leadership of UR.
4 In some regions (Irkutsk Oblast' and Zabaikal'skii Krai), multi-member districts were formed in special cases. These are also excluded from the analysis, as well as one SMD in Kirov Oblast' where the elections were declared void.
5 Some exclusions to this rule are, Karachaevo-Cherkessiya (38:37); Volgograd Oblast' (22:16); Altai (21:20); Belgorod Oblast' (18:17); Magadan Oblast' (11:10); Kursk Oblast' (23:22); Orenburg Oblast' (24:23); and Khanty-Mansiisk Autonomous Okrug (18:14).
6 See discussion in Golosov (Citation2010).
7 Regional legislature elections in Tatarstan and Bashkortostan were held before the resignations of Shaimiev and Rakhimov.
8 Rosstat (Citation2011). It is necessary to note that the Russian State Statistic Service does not record the GDP of Autonomous Okruga (AO). Therefore, Khanty-Mansiisk AO and Yamalo-Nenets AO are not included in the correlation analysis for this parameter.
9 Vserossiiskaya perepis' naseleniya 2002, available at: http://www.perepis2002.ru/index.html?id = 17, accessed 23 December 2012.