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Хлеб и зрелище: практики легитимации власти
The author describes how the image of the process of political power legitimation during election campaigns is changing taking into consideration the development of the political process in modern Russia. According to the author, legitimation standards at the federal level are fully supported on the regional policy level. The author tries to show what contents the practices of legitimation of power have on the example of the Lipetsk region. From the author’s point of view, the election campaign has two focuses around which the design is built. Legitimation practices always vary between "bread" and "circuses". In today's political discourse this interaction finds the metaphor "refrigerator" and "TV". Reducing the level of competition in the election campaigns which is a feature of the political process in modern Russia is fully confirmed by the case of the Lipetsk region. Reduced competition at the federal level and the reduction of the political agenda cannot help constraining the activity of the candidates at the regional level. Activity of opposition actors becomes less noticeable because to compete with the government becomes futile. In turn, candidates reduce as possible the price of their campaigns abandoning the usual agitation forms and methods. The author confirms this by a number of examples that reveal the experience of federal and regional campaigns on the example of the Lipetsk region.