Regional Patterns of Political Preference in Russia: The December 1999 Duma Elections

Abstract

Two specialists on the electoral geography of post-Soviet Russia analyze the spatial voting patterns of the December 1999 national parliamentary election (national party-list vote) in that country. Among the issues investigated are spatial variations in voter turnout, the geographic concentration/dispersion of voter support by party, and correlations between that support and selected demographic and socioeconomic variables. Particular attention is focused on the extent to which voting patterns mirrored those of previous electoral contests and were affected by the appearance of such new electoral coalitions as Fatherland–All Russia, Unity, and the Union of Right Forces. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: H10, O50, Z10. 13 figures, 5 tables, 27 references.