Political Tendencies in Russia’s Regions: Evidence from the 1993 Parliamentary Elections

Abstract

Most analyses of the consequences of the December 1993 elections have focused on the State Duma that was elected and its likely role in the Russian political process at the national level. The purpose of this study is to go beyond the more obvious impact of the elections to examine underlying patterns and tendencies that could be significant for Russia's future as a federal, multiethnic state. Data on voting for the parliament by party list permit for the first time a systematic, multidimensional comparison of political tendencies in Russia's regions.

Emerging Party Systems in Post-Soviet Societies: Fact or Fiction?

“…The results of this analysis reveal not only party differences, but also a strong correspondence of each group's policy interests to what we might expect for each bloc given their pre- see Fish 1995aand 1995band Slider et al 1994 sumed ideologies. Taking Russian elite attitudes toward a market economy, for example, we would expect "Anti-Reform Communists" to reject policies that promote movement toward a free market economy.…”

“…470 Arthur H. , we will collapse the identifiers of the several parties into a smaller number of party blocs. The work of others suggests that these blocs will maintain the integrity of party differences while allowing us to present party-related evidence in a more efficient manner (see Slider, Gimpelson and Chugrov 1994;Fish 1995b;Bojcun 1995;Girnius 1995).…”

Political Geographies and Cleavages in the Russian Parliamentary Elections

“…Conversely, the southern border regions, together with the rural core of European Russia south and west of Moscow, have acted as the "conservative" heartland. Slider et al (1994), as well as Kolossov (1993), Zubov and Kolossov (1996), Medvedkov et al (1996), Craumer (1995b, 1995c), and Orttung and Parrish (1996) have remarked on a general political divide in Russia-of a reform north and a moderate south. Since 1917, Russia's radical core has shifted northward with industrialization and diffused into all of northeastern European Russia and into the regions of the Urals and Siberia (Kolossov, 1993).…”

“…Recent work on post-Soviet elections in Russia indicates the growing significance of place (Slider et al, 1994;Crauner, 1995b, 1995c;Medvedkov et al,1996). A significant part of the geographic variation in party support can be interpreted as the effects of an ill-developed national party system.…”

Statistical Model for Multiparty Electoral Data

“…Subnational analyses include Bellucci (1984Bellucci ( , 1991, Conford, Dorling, and Tether (1995), Rattinger (1991), Slider (1994). the others.…”