Putin and the 'Delegative Democracy' Trap: Evidence from Russia's 2003-04 Elections

Three experts on Russian elections analyze the surprising degree to which Russian voters supported their leaders, especially Putin, in the December 2003 Duma elections and the March 2004 presidential election. Drawing on the results of surveys of a nationally representative sample of Russians of voting age made between December 19, 2003, and February 15, 2004, and then between April 4 and May 11, 2004, the authors identify some distinctive trends in voting behavior. The results of the election are analyzed in terms of the views and characteristics of the people who voted in particular ways. The trends revealed by the surveys and the authors' analysis are used to consider how Putin's Russia compares to "delegative democracies" in Latin America.