Elections in Russia - Definition and Overview

Elections in Russia gives information on election and election results in Russia. An election is a process in which a vote is held to elect candidates to an office. It is the mechanism by which a democracy fills elective offices in the legislature, and sometimes the executive and judiciary, and in which electorates choose local government officials.

See election for a more comprehensive discussion and the List of democracy and elections-related topics for an overview on related topics.

Russia elects on federal level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a four year term by the people. The Federal Assembly (Federalnoe Sobranie) has two chambers. The State Duma (Gosudarstvennaja Duma) has 450 members, elected for a four year term, 225 members elected in single-seat constuencies and 225 members by proportional representation. The Federation Council (Sovet Federacii) has 178 members: 2 delegates for each region. Russia is a one party dominant state with United Russia in power. Opposition parties are allowed, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power.

Last elections

• Russian presidential election, 2004
• Russian legislative election, 2003

Past elections

• • Russian presidential election, 2000

Duma 1999 elections

Voting for party

1. 24.29% Communist Party of the Russian Federation
2. 23.32% Unity
3. 13.33% Fatherland-All Russia
4. 8.52% Union of Right Forces
5. 5.98% Liberal Democratic Party (Zhirinovsky Bloc)
6. 5.93% Yabloko

• 5% is the threshold a party must achieve in order to gain seats in parliament
• 3,3% against all

Total seats in Duma

(= voting for parties+voting for individual candidates):

• 90 Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF)
• 82 Unity
• 57 People's Deputies faction
• 45 Fatherland-All Russia (OVR)
• 42 Russia's Regions
• 39 Agro-industrial faction
• 32 Union of Right Forces
• 21 Yabloko
• 17 Liberal Democratic Party of Russia
• 16 independents
• 8 repeat election required
• 1 vacant
• == 450 total ==

See also

• Electoral calendar
• Electoral system

External links

• Electionworld (http://www.electionworld.org/russia.htm)
• Adam Carr's Election Archive (http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/r/russia/)
• parties and elections (http://www.parties-and-elections.de/russia.html)