Suchergebnisse

Cover -- Front matter -- Title page -- Copyright page -- Contents -- List of Contributors -- Acknowledgments -- 1 Introduction -- Part I: Elections in Russia and the USSR: A Historical Overview -- 2 Elections in Russian and Early Soviet History -- 3 Reforming the Soviet Electoral System -- Part II: The 1993 Election Campaign -- 4 Overview of the Campaign -- Part ill: Influences and Trends of the 1993 Campaign -- 5 Media Coverage in the Elections -- 6 Parties and Voters in the Elections -- 7 Stabilization or Stagnation? A Regional Perspective -- Part IV: The Framework of a New Political Order -- 8 The Development of the Russian Party System: Did the Elections Change Anything? -- 9 The Presidency and Political Leadership in Post-Communist Russia -- 10 The Legacy of Leninist Enforced De-participation -- 11 Conclusion -- Appendix: Electoral Associations and their Programmes -- Index -- Back cover.

This article examines the December 2, 2007 State Duma elections in Russia in terms of their significance and implications for Russian politics. The article argues that the success of the United Russia party in the State Duma elections created the most conducive conditions for Vladimir Putin's handling of the presidential succession problem in 2008. By keeping the State Duma under the control of his Tarty of Power: Vladimir Putin became able to nominate his close ally Dmitry Medvedev to the Presidency since the election results enabled him to use the State Duma to counterbalance the overwhelming presidential power which will be transferred to Dmitry Medvedev in 2008. The article begins by examining the significance and the actual organization of the December 2, 2007 State Duma elections in Russia. On the basis of the analysis of the election results, the article goes on to discuss the implications of the December 2, 2007 State Duma elections for Russian politics.

Sarah Oates gives a detailed examination on a central theme in political science: the relationship between democracy and the mass media. This significant book contains a wealth of information and data, including: public opinion surveys, content analysis of television news, focus groups and in-depth interviews to examine why political parties and the mass media failed so spectacularly to aid in the construction of a democratic system in Russia. The analysis presents compelling evidence that television helped to tune out democracy as it served as a tool for leaders rather than a conduit of in.

The Russian political system needs elections. Especially at the regional level, they serve to cultivate loyalty and as an initiation ritual for governors, their aides, and local power brokers.