Paul Goble
Staunton, July 10 – The upcoming Duma elections are likely to resemble the ones held in 2021, according to Aleksandr Kynyev, an independent political scientist who has now released a 51-page report with nine conclusions supporting his overall judgment about why the upcoming vote is not going change the Russian political system in any major way.
One of the most thoughtful commentators about regional politics in the Russian Federation says, as his first conclusion, that the September voting will “continue a steqdy trend towards the contraction of political competition” (disk.yandex.ru/d/MoE3bjyo4qEyIQ summarized at ru.themoscowtimes.com/2026/07/10/stabilnost-ili-modifitsirovannii-status-kvo-a20052).
His second conclusion is that there will be a sharp decline in the total number of elections, largely because of the elimination of elected municipal councils. His third is that there will be 11 gubernatorial elections, an increase in only one from 2021. His fourth is that the trend toward the appointment of outsiders as governors will continue.
Kynyev’s fifth conclusion is that there won’t be a radical reduction in the share of seats elected on the proportional system. His sixth is that what is going on reflects Moscow’s striving for stability. His seventh is that more parties will cooperate in groups, thus further limiting competition and representation of various interests.
The political scientist’s eighth conclusion based on his survey of regional elections is that with only one exception, the permitted size of spending on elections won’t change. And the ninth is that ever more regions are now allowing the collection of signatures on nominating petitions via online public service platforms.
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