ASSESSMENTS

Do United Russia's Election Defeats Portend a Political Shift?

Oct 15, 2018 | 09:00 GMT

The State Duma of Russia is still dominated by President Vladimir Putin's party, even though other political parties are starting to make inroads.

With Russian President Vladimir Putin seated on the dais behind him, Dmitri Medvedev addresses the State Duma in Moscow on May 8, 2018, as Russia's lower house of parliament prepares to confirm him as prime minister.

(YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

  • Recent regional elections in Russia, which led to several defeats for the ruling United Russia party, indicate that growing economic pressure and unpopular pension reforms are increasingly undermining United Russia's standing.
  • The elections could mark the beginning of a gradual decline of the party's dominance at the regional level, as pro-Kremlin opposition parties such as the Communists and the Liberal Democrats appear to be on the rise.
  • The elections could also have implications at the national level, as an alliance between pro-Kremlin opposition parties could mark a shift in Russia's political structures.

Discontent over proposed pension reforms is still showing up at the ballot box in Russia. While the ruling United Russia party dominated gubernatorial elections on Sept. 9 as expected, a record four races were forced into runoffs. And, so far, United Russia has lost two of those regional elections and pulled out of a third. (The fourth is set for December.) Though President Vladimir Putin's party is likely to remain the largest and most influential political party for the foreseeable future, the latest elections could indicate that important political shifts are taking place at the regional and national levels....

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