Municipal reform in the Russian Federation and Putin's "Electoral vertical"

To truly assess democratization in Russia we need to study politics not only at the national and regional levels but also at the subregional level. A detailed examination of the implementation of the Federal Law, "On the Principles of Local Self-Government in the Russian Federation," which was adopted in 2005, shows that the political and financial autonomy of Russia's municipalities have been seriously compromised and that local self-government has been turned into nothing more than a third branch of state power. Moreover, an examination of municipal elections conducted from 2004 to 2005 shows that elections in Russia are far from free and fair. The instigation of what may be termed Putin's "electoral vertical" has thwarted the development of grassroots democracy and United Russia now dominates the municipal political landscape. Copyright © 2007 Heldref Publications.