Political-Legal Means of Ensuring the Institution of Electoral Democracy Development in Russia

Introduction. At present, the Russian state is still undergoing the process of its social system transformation. The deterioration of the geopolitical situation has affected all spheres of state activity and has made the political, social and economic contradictions more acute. The electoral (vote-based) democracy is a category both social and political-legal. The institution of elections in the contemporary states becomes the focus of close attention due to capacity to involve a big amount of citizens into the social life. However, the process and final result of citizens' will expression is, to great extent, determined by the electoral system existing in the country. Legal scholars are very careful when referring to the issues of electoral system reform because in the countries with the transitional political systems of the late 20th century, the electoral institutions have developed intensely, but often inconsistently and without proper thinking. The aim of the present research is to reveal the weak points in the political-legal means of ensuring the electoral democracy development in Russia and propose the ways of reinforcing the political and ideological component in the electoral system of the country.

Materials and Methods. The political and legal basis for ensuring the institutional development of electoral democracy in Russia was analysed in the article. The general scientific and specific scientific methods were used in the research, such as, the cognitive analysis of the electoral democracy essence, the analysis of the official legal documents that legally stipulate the categorial apparatus of the object of the research, i.e. electoral democracy, the sociological method of studying the public opinion regarding elections in the country, and others.

Results. It has been proved that further institutionalisation of the vote-based or electoral democracy processes requires legal stipulation of the technological and socio-political innovations. Measures on improving the institution of electoral democracy in accordance with the social request of the Russian people have been proposed.

Discussion and Conclusion. The problems of political and legal ensuring the institute of electoral democracy in the Russian Federation have been revealed. The state policy goals for improving the institution of electoral democracy within the sustainable development of Russia could be achieved through further accomplishment of the system of suffrage, reinforcement of the political and ideological component of the electoral system of the country.

1. Gel'man VYa. Politicheskie Partii v Rossii: ot Konkurentsii — k Ierarkhii. Polis. 2008;(5):135–152. (In Russ.).

2. Makarenko BI. Stsenarii Ehvolyutsii Partiinoi Sistemy. In.: Rossiya 2020: Stsenarii Razvitiya. Lipman M, Petrov N (eds.). Moscow: Russian Political Encyclopedia (ROSSPEN); 2012. 588 p. (In Russ.).

3. Pligin VN. Ehtapy Razvitiya Izbiratel'nogo Zakonodatel'stva v Rossiiskoi Federatsii. In.: Ehlektoral'naya Demokratiya: Rossiiskii Opyt. Ehbzeev BS. (ed.). Moscow: Russian Center for Training in Electoral Technologies Publ.; 2017. S. 202–243. (In Russ.).

4. Grudtsyna LYu. Izbiratel'naya Demokratiya. State and Law. 2017;(8):21–26. (In Russ.).

5. Knyazev SD. Election Process: Concept, Peculiarities and Structure. Pravovedenie. 1999;(3):42–54. URL: http://read.virmk.ru/k/Knyazev.htm (accessed: 30.06.2023). (In Russ.).

6. Collier D, Levitsky S. Democracy “with Adjectives”: Conceptual Innovation in Comparative Research. World Politics. 1997;49(3):430–451.

7. Daimond L. Is the Third Wave of Democratisation Over? Polis. Political Studies. 1999;(1):10-25. URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20150214111508/http://www.polisportal.ru/files/File/puvlication/Starie_publikacii_Polisa/D/1999-1-3-Dimond_Proshla_li_3_volna_demokratizacii.pdf (accessed: 01.07.2023). (In Russ.).

8. Schumpeter IA. The Theory of Economic Development. In: Capitalism Socialism and Democracy. Moscow: Ehksmo Publ.; 2008. 861 p. (In Russ.).

9. Huntington SP. The Third Wave. Democratization in the Late Twentieth Century. Lapshina LYu. (transl.). Moscow: Russian Political Encyclopedia (ROSSPEN); 2003. 368 p. (In Russ.).

10. Dahl RA. Polyarchy. Participation and Opposition. Denikina S, Baranova V. (transl.). Moscow: HSE University Publ.; 2010. 288 p. (In Russ.).

11. Karl T, Shmitter F. Chto Est' Demokratiya? URL: https://document.wikireading.ru/huNrV5f3Si (accessed: 04.07.2023). (In Russ.).

12. Fedorov V. Russkii Vybor. Vvedenie v Teoriyu Ehlektoral'nogo Povedeniya Rossiyan. Moscow: Praxis Publ.; 2010. 384 p. (In Russ.).

13. Byzov LG. Rastsvet ili Tupik Ehlektoral'noi Demokratii? Razmyshleniya nad Knigoi V.V. Fedorova “Russkii Vybor. Vvedenie V Teoriyu Ehlektoral'nogo Povedeniya Rossiyan”. Monitoring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes Journal. 2010;4(98):286–292. (In Russ.).

14. Ehbzeev BS, Churov VE. Pryamaya i Predstavitel'naya Demokratiya v Konstitutsionnom Stroe Rossii: Formy, Konkurentnaya Priroda, Izbiratel'nye Prava Grazhdan (Nabroski k Doktrine Konstitutsionnogo Suda Rossii). In: Ehlektoral'naya Demokratiya: Rossiiskii Opyt. Ehbzeev BS (ed.). Moscow: Russian Center for Training in Electoral Technologies Publ.; 2017. P. 45–66. (In Russ.).

15. Makartsev AA. Sotsial'noe i individual'noe v ehlektoral'noi demokratii: doktrina Konstitutsionnogo Suda Rossiiskoi Federatsii. In: Ehlektoral'naya Demokratiya: Rossiiskii Opyt. Ehbzeev BS (ed.). Moscow: Russian Center for Training in Electoral Technologies Publ.; 2017. P. 665–686. (In Russ.).

16. Orekhovskii PA. Electoral Democracy - 2020 In The Light Of Public Choice Theory: Lessons In Institutional Design For Russia. Federalizm. 2021; 26(1):62–79. (In Russ.).

17. Merton R. Sotsial'naya Teoriya i Sotsial'naya Struktura. Moscow: AST: Khranitel' Publ., 2006. 873 p. (In Russ.).

18. Salikov MS. On Establishing and Removing Barriers in the Russian Electoral Process. Electronic Supplement to the Russian Juridical Journal. 2017;(5):49–56. (In Russ.).

19. Kuzina SI. Prakticheskaya Ideologiya v Protsessakh Gosudarstvennogo Stroitel'stva Sovremennoi Rossii. In: Proceedings of the All-Russian Sience and Practical Conference “Gosudarstvennaya Ideologiya i Sovremennaya Rossiya”. Moscow: Nauka i Politika Publ.; 2014. P. 664–670. (In Russ.).

20. Podgornyi VI, Lysenko ES. On The Issue Of Improving The Electoral Process in the Russian Federation. Bulletin of Ufa Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. 2020;(1):31–39. (In Russ.).

21. Pratsko GS. Civil Society and Legal Values to Ensure Decent Standard of Personality Life-Activity. Legal Order and Legal Values. 2023;1(1):5–17. (In Russ.).