Suchergebnisse

Why do some countries undergo regime changes despite legitimacy crises, while in others de-legitimation dramatically challenges democratic and non-democratic regimes? Post-Communist transformation in Russia can be viewed as a "natural experiment" in legitimacy's changing role during regime change. The de-legitimation of the Soviet political regime greatly contributed to the overthrow of Communist rule. However, although the post-Communism system had multiple troubles which led to the newly-emerged regime's lack of legitimacy, this has not caused major anti-system protests. Still, the legitimacy of Russia's current regime is not deeply rooted among the masses, and is based upon specific rather than diffuse support for the status quo. The article reconsider the analysis of the role of post-Soviet legitimacy (or lack thereof) in the process of regime changes through the prism of the "resigned acceptance" model within Hirschman's framework of "exit, voice, and loyalty". The author will focus on the dynamics of public opinion and political behavior in the 1990s–2000s and analyze the impact of the "legacy of the past," regime performance, and political elites and institutions in strengthening and/or challenging the existing status quo in Russian politics.

Why do some countries become democracies, while others move from one nondemocratic regime to another? Post-communist transformations in the countries of the former Soviet Union could be viewed as a "natural experiment" in regime change: the politics of post-Soviet states demonstrate a great diversity. In this article, I present a partial theory of post-Soviet regime change and attempt to explain the outcomes of elite conflicts in post-Soviet states and their consequences for regime change. The account of political transformations in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus will outline certain common features and peculiarities of regime change in each case and provide several implications for comparative studies of regime change.

"In Russland finden Wahlen statt. Ein Präsidentenerlass und das Wahlgesetz von 1994 schufen die Grundlagen. Zahlreiche Normen regeln die Zulassung und Finanzierung der Kandidaten, den Wahlkampf und die Durchführung der Wahlen. Gleichzeitig haben sich informelle Methoden herausgebildet, welche die formalen Wahlregeln unterlaufen und wirkungsvolle Mechanismen darstellen, den Wahlausgang zu beeinflussen. Diese informellen Methoden können die Stabilität der politischen Herrschaft erhöhen, jedoch auch ihren Zusammenbruch fördern. Die Frage, ob Wahlen zu einem Machtwechsel in Russland führen können, ist weiter offen." (Autorenreferat)

Elections take place in Russia. A presidential decree & the election law of 1994 created the basis for them. Numerous norms rules regulate the registration & financing of candidates, the election campaign & the holding of the vote itself. At the same time, there have emerged informal practices that get around the formal election rules & present effective mechanisms for influencing the outcome of a vote. These informal practices can increase political stability, but they could also lead to its collapse. The question whether elections can produce a handover of power in Russian remains open. Adapted from the source document.