Tag Archives: united_russia

Elections matter

Posted on August 20, 2016 by

In less than a month, Russia will hold elections to the State Duma. These will be the first legislative elections since the scandalous vote in 2011, and the first elections after Russia’s electoral reforms, with half the seats now filled … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, Kremlinology, Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A performance to forget

Posted on April 17, 2016 by

Every series gets tired after a certain number of seasons. Viewers get tired of the running jokes, the catchphrases, the predictable storylines, the hammy actors, especially if no new characters are introduced. Authors gradually stop caring: plot turns become boring, dialogues … Continue reading →

Posted in Kremlinology, Policies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The curious art of questions

Posted on June 29, 2015 by

In political science, there are some questions not worth asking. These typically begin with “what if”, or take the form of “what does [insert name] really think about [insert issue]”. When Yevgeny Primakov, Russia’s former Prime Minister and Boris Yeltsin’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Kremlinology, Policies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The cost of peace

Posted on September 18, 2014 by

The war in Ukraine is, arguably, a very costly business for Russia’s leaders. No wonder that the political and business elite seem to be increasingly divided on the issue. However, the situation created by the conflict has benefited Russia’s ruling … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, Kremlinology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A case against Medvedev #2: the Armenian lesson

Posted on May 9, 2014 by

One of the most publicised reforms carried out during Dmitry Medvedev’s presidency was Russia’s switch to year-round Daylight Saving Time (DST) for economic and health reasons. However, the reform did not quite work out and sparked a lively debate, yet, … Continue reading →

Posted in Kremlinology, Policies | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

An aging octopus

Posted on September 28, 2013 by

Right after the Moscow mayoral election, Vladimir Putin nominated his aide Tatiana Golikova to head the Court of Audit. The Russian and international press did not care much: after all, Navalny and Roizman occupied the headlines. A couple of weeks … Continue reading →

Posted in Kremlinology, Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Evolutions

Posted on September 16, 2013 by

The mayoral election in Moscow turned out to be a mind-boggling event. It was preceded by such analytic coverage that when it actually happened the outcome was almost disappointing. No large-scale falsifications took place – even the independent election watchdog … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment