The Effect of the Russian Presidential System on the Political Regime: A Comparative Analysis of Yeltsin and Putin Periods

Many post-Soviet countries preferred presidential system in their newly established regimes with the dissolution of the USSR. Although this reality was commented as a necessary step for the democratization, after leaving more than quarter of a century behind, it is a phenomenon that most of the post-Soviet countries including Russian Federation is far from a democratic polity. This study, in this sense, determines Russian Federation as a case and aims to focus on discovering the scope of Russia’s presidential system and its role in the Russian political development. Maurice Duverger claims that, apart from the constitution, two other sources play a significant role in determining the scope of the presidential system: the origin of the presidency and the degree of the presidential support in parliament and among the elite. By extending these two criteria by adding presidential popularity among the general public, I target discovering Russia’s presidential system through these three criteria. My study is going to analyze Yeltsin and Putin periods in a comparative perspective and try to reveal its effect on the regime’s move towards more democratic or authoritarian polity. This study is based on theoretical research and will be conducted through qualitative method. With its completion, it will provide a better understanding of the political regime in Russia. Thus, it will also pave the way for further research on post-Soviet countries’ regimes in a comparative perspective.