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No Success Without Approval: The Role of Administrative Resources in the Russian Electoral Process
Based on interviews with political strategists, officials from regional administrations, and CEOs, this article describes the mechanism for using administrative resources in the electoral process in Russia. Administrative resources are the set of informal or semi-formal practices used by government officials to ensure a predetermined result in an election. These resources are deployed to keep power in the hands of the ruling elite at all levels. With the help of administrative resources, favorable electoral opportunities are created for “agreed” candidates and parties, while obstacles are placed in front of political competitors. The article presents an analysis of the repertoire of the administrative resources employed in the process of nominating candidates and during election campaigns is presented.