Chirikova A.E. Pre-election coalitions in the contextof direct elections in a small russiantown (district): a look into a recent pasta. Power and Elites ...

Abstract

The analysis focuses on the coalition-building in the election campaigns in two small Russian towns and one district in the Middle Urals. The research has been conducted in 2011–2013. This allows us to evaluate impartially whether the direct elections are democratic instruments or not. The study allows us to answer the following questions. Were coalitions formal or informal? Enforced or voluntary? Were the coalitions effective? The research focused on those coalitions that were built not with local party organizations but with local businessmen and representatives of the regional power structures. The research is based on 34 in-depth face-to-face interviews with local politicians, key local and regional business actors, and experts. The outcomes of study confirm that the direct elections should not be idealized. The ability to use informal resources allows their holders to achieve intended results while the voting was not always voluntary. Now the direct elections of local government heads are replaced by a deputy vote of the three candidates proposed by the competition commission. Although the situation has not changed significantly, direct elections are preferable, since they require a lot of effort to tamper with the results in comparison with the “deputy model”. Keywords: direct elections, formal and informal coalitions, interaction of deputies with local businessmen, enforced coalitions, democracy.

Content (in russ)