Russian+Legitimacy

=Russian Legitimacy =

**__ TERMS TO KNOW: __** **Legitimacy**—is the foundation of governmental power as is exercised both with a consciousness on the government's part that it has a right to govern and with some recognition by the governed of that right

**Tsars**—strong, aristocratic rulers providing legitimacy that lasted centuries
 * Marxism-Leninism**—under communist rule, this provided the legitimacy base for the party
 * Democratic centralism**—ideology of Marxism-Leninism; means rule by a few for the benefit of many. Discussion and debate would be allowed before the party decided to do something. However, once a decision was made, everyone had to obey it without question.
 * Stalinism**—theoretically it only supplemented Marxism-Leninism; it changed the regime to…
 * Totalitarianism**—a more complete, invasive form of strong-man rule than the tsars were able to implement
 * Constitution of 1993**—attempt to reconstruct the country’s power base; provided for a strong president, whose power is checked by popular election and by the…
 * Duma**—the lower house of the legislature that has existed since the tsars of the late 19th century

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**__ CURRENT EVENTS: __** []

During the past election in October, many Russians expressed concerns about the legitimacy of the process. Some of Russia’s main opposition parties claim that they were prohibited from registering candidates and allowing them to appear on the ballot. Opposition leader and former Deputy Prime Minister, Boris Nemtsov said that the elections were nothing but a farce. He claims that he wasn’t allowed to register in the Moscow council race. Election officials claim that the 5000 signatures he acquired for his candidacy were forged. He believes that top people in the political order prevent all opposition candidates posing a threat to the ruling party (United Russia) from running. A BBC article claims that the only parties remaining in opposition are those like the Communists, which are not a real threat to the government. The Yabloko party also says that many voters had difficulties casting their ballots because a vote had already been cast in their name. There were also reports that voters were at polling stations in districts in which they do not live. The Chairman of Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC), Vladimir Churov, said that the electoral process was valid, and Prime Minister Putin, an official with United Russia, told Reuters that the party won nearly every race it ran in. But Moscow residents are not convinced.

Elections provide for the government to be made up of officials who represent the beliefs of the people. If elections are not fair, then the makeup of the government will not be viewed legitimately. According to the Constitution of 1993, presidential power is supposed to be checked by the Duma and popular elections. However, if popular elections are not legitimate, then the “elected” officials may not check the power of the president in ways that the population wishes for. If they are elected unfairly because they belong to the dominant party, then there may not be any checking of power at all. People who feel their elections were a lie will not trust their leaders, and the government will have no legitimacy.

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The current source of **Russian Legitimacy** is the **Constitution of 1993.** It invests power in the Duma (parliament) which has existed for over a century, but primarily it confers power to the new strong executive branch through popular elections. The people generally trust the institution of the Presidency, although there are doubts as to the fairness of the elections. Currently, Vladimir Putin's forceful character and his popularity give additional legitimacy to the Russian Republic, even after he left the office of President to become the Prime Minister of the Duma. Thus, Russia is currently a mixture of **dynamic legitimacy** and **rational legitimacy**, as strong leaders cement the weakness in the rules of the fledgling government.

Russians do not believe that their votes matter. Voter turnout is not particularly high, but it is higher for the more powerful national elections, such as the presidential elections. Russia is a fledgling democracy, and its institutions are not yet supported by civic engagement and a belief in political efficacy. "Russian voters disenchanted with electoral process - paper." //Asia Africa Intelligence Wire// 7 Nov. 2003. //General Reference Center Gold//. Web. 9 Feb. 2010.Document URL []

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