1 research outputs found
Voting 'against all' in postcommunist Russia
Since the early 1990s voters in Russia (and most of the other post-Soviet republics) have been offered
the opportunity to vote ‘against all’ parties and candidates. Increasing numbers have done so. The
evidence of two post-election surveys indicates that ‘against all’ voters are younger than other voters,
more urban and more highly educated. They do not reject liberal democracy, but are critical of the
contemporary practice of Russian politics and find no parties that adequately reflect their views. With
the ending of the ‘against all’ facility in 2006 and other changes in the Russian electoral system under
the Putin presidency, levels of turnout are likely to fall further and the protest vote will seek other
outlets within or outside the parliamentary system