The Russian Election at a Glance
Rules|Previous Elections
Presidential term of office: 4 years
Eligibility: Citizens over 35 years old who have lived in the country at least 10 years—106 million people. Candidate has to be nominated by an election bloc or directly by citizens with minimum of 1,000,000 signatures collected in more than 15 regions.
The Process: Election campaign ends at 12 p.m. local time of the day preceding the election. Elections are run by a local, regional and national election commissions, supported by Central Election Commission in Moscow and local executive authorities.
There are 89 regions of the Russian Federation, subdivided into 2,700 territories that represent cities and other local units. About 97,000 polling stations will be open from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. on July 3.
A minimum of 50% voter turnout is required for the results to be certified as legitimate. The candidate who receives more than one half of the votes is elected.
Runoff: The runoff election must occur no later than 15 days after the result of the first election is announced.
Voters are given three options in the runoff — to vote for either of the candidates, or against both. The candidate who receives the majority of votes during the runoff is elected president, as long as the number of votes in his favor is greater than the number of votes cast against both candidates. In case the runoff fails to produce a positive result, new elections will be called within four months.
The law also provides that any candidate suspected of initiating a disruption of public order or an election fraud is barred from nomination for the second elections.
Vote counting starts immediately after the poll closes, and continues without interruption until the results are calculated. The local election commission has three days to add up the precinct results. The regional election commission must finish tabulating results within ten days. The Central Election Commission has three days to produce their cumulative total, thus official results will be known no later than 13 days after the election.
In case a fraud or a serious violation is reported on a local level, a recount can be ordered by a regional or Central Electoral Commission.
Counting the vote: The computer counting system consists of terminals installed in every election territory, and is used for calculation of preliminary non-official results. As the poll stations stretch across 11 time zones, the first data will be transmitted only at 11 p.m. Moscow time on election night, when the last polling station closes in the country’s western-most region.
A key feature of the Russian electoral system is the right of each candidate to appoint one non-voting member to the electoral commission at every level. They may participate in and address sessions of an election commission. They, along with candidate’s attorneys, media and accredited foreign observers, have a right to be present during the vote counting, and review the issue of final results.
About 1,000 foreign observers already have registered for the first round of voting and under the law, the number of Russian observers is indefinite.
Financing the election: Elections are financed from the federal budget. Each candidate is allowed to establish an election fund with an account in the State Savings Bank. Total campaign expenses cannot exceed the ruble equivalent of $2,900,000.
Candidates cannot receive donations from foreign and international organizations; military units; state or municipal enterprises; local authorities; religious communities and charity organizations. Official campaign expenditure figures suggest that the law has been flaunted by many of the candidates.
Yeltsin leads in fund-raising — so far he has a sum more than double that of his closest rival Gennady Zyuganov ($1.4 million compared to $600,000). However, Yeltsin’s campaign has spent huge amounts on advertising, which suggests he long ago exhausted the $60,000 he has reported spending.
Taking office: A new president of Russia will be inaugurated within 30 days after the official results are announced.
The Candidates:
(Click on a candidate's name for the most recent Post stories that mention them; not all names are linked)
Boris Yeltsin, 65
Former construction manager turned Communist Party official who became first Russian popularly-elected president. Engineered Soviet collapse in 1991 and launched sweeping reforms in 1992. Campaigns as only real guarantor of stability and continuing reforms.
Gennady Zyuganov, 51
Former Soviet Communisty Party functionary known for blending "Great Power" nationalism and socialism. Advocates state control of key industries, broader government involvement in economy. Preaches suspicion of the West and "voluntary" restoration of Soviet Union.
The Recent Elections
March 1991 - Referendum on the preservation of the USSR
Turnout: 75.4 percent. For - 71.3 percent, Against - 26.4 percent
April 1991 - Election of the first Russian President
Turnout: 74.7 percent. Six contenders. The leaders were: Boris Yeltsin- 58.6 percent, Nicholai Ryzhkov- 17.2 percent, Vladimir Zhirinovsky- 8 percent
April 1993 - Referendum in the Russian Federation on trust of Boris Yeltsin
Turnout: 64.0 percent. For - 58.7 percent, Against - 39.3 percent
December 1993 - Parliamentary elections
Turnout: 54.8 percent. Communists and nationalist parties — 43.3 percent, Centrist parties — 23.5 percent, "Pro-reform" parties and candidates - 27.5 percent
December 1993 - Referendum on the new Constitution drafted and endorsed by Yeltsin
Turnout: 54.3 percent, For - 58.4 percent, Against - 41.6 percent
December 1995 - Duma Elections
Turnout: - 64.4 percent. Communist and nationalist parties - 52.9 percent, Centrist parties - 23.5 percent, "Pro-reform" parties and candidates - 20.7 percent
Sources: Michael McFaul. "Russia Between Elections. What the December 1995 results really mean". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.Federal Law on Election of President of the Russian Federation (signed on June 21, 1995), Associated Press.
Research by Masha Pavlenko, The Washington Post
© Copyright, 1996, The Washington Post Company
Back to top
