The Russian government has shown stability in holding elections. “The governorship election campaigns have begun,” Aleksey Chesnakov, head of the scientific council of the Center for Political Conjuncture, said at the Expert Institute for Social Research (EISI) roundtable.
It was noted that many experts evaluate this year’s governorship elections as a single campaign in general. There are also various factors in the overall framework.
“It is important to highlight the general background expressed in the phenomenon of mobilization around the President, the public consensus on key issues on the agenda, the high ratings of government officials and the positive assessment of his actions. historically minimal potential for protest,” added Chesnakov.
In contrast, Viktor Poturemsky, director of political analysis at the Social Marketing Institute (INSOMAR), noted that what has been observed in staffing decisions this season is an opportunity for a new understanding of staffing decisions in general.
“Personnel decisions in Chukotka, Smolensk and Omsk are not associated with specific problems. The governors met the needs and managed the regions quite well. We see that the selection of candidates takes place in familiar vectors: the governors of the new wave, the “school of governors” is the main supplier of personnel for governorship positions, they demonstrate their effectiveness. In the new regions, people are coming in connection with the experience of the state municipal service,” he said.
Experts also point out that referendum-type election campaigns will be held in some regions. These are the regions where the deputy governors meet the basic needs of the population. These are managers with strong potential and high levels of support. According to Grigory Kertman, a leading FOM analyst, such regions include the Pskov, Amur, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod and Tyumen regions. He believes that the governors there have high starting positions, high image characteristics before a new election campaign starts.
Experts add to the list of “excellent students” the Governor of the Altai Territory, Viktor Tomenko, and the President of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Aisen Nikolaev. These are the new wave of governors who are going through serious difficulties in their first term as governors.