Abstract
The demise of Russia’s gubernatorial elections bore all the makings of a great murder mystery, with many possible explanations and much disputed evidence. The Kremlin argued that the institution of gubernatorial elections was so corrupt and disorderly that it was terminally ill. From this perspective, the elimination of gubernatorial elections was a form of euthanasia designed to spare the country from further suffering (largely owing to self-inflicted wounds). Critics of Vladimir Putin’s regime cried foul play, arguing that the institution’s untimely demise was no mercy killing. As the story goes, the Kremlin increasingly lost control over the governors since Putin came to power, often failing to get its own candidates elected or even to maintain control over those it did. Hence, the elimination of electoral institutions was nothing more than a desperate bid to restore central authority in the regions, implemented by a regime that knew little about democracy and a great deal about coercion.
Parts of this article, which is otherwise new, appear in a piece by the same author: J. Paul Goode, ‘The Puzzle of Putin’s Gubernatorial Appointments’, Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 59, 3 (May 2007): 365–99. The editors thank Taylor & Francis Ltd (http://www.informaworld.com) for their permission to use this copyrighted material.
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Notes
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Goode, J.P. (2010). Russia’s Gubernatorial Elections: A Postmortem. In: Newton, J., Tompson, W. (eds) Institutions, Ideas and Leadership in Russian Politics. St Antony’s Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230282940_3
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