Dictatorship of arbitrariness: legal framework for elections in the 2024 Single Voting Day

Golos movement’s experts studied how electoral legislation changed from June 2023 to May 2024 at the federal, regional and local levels. 

Here are the major findings:

• Legislators are arbitrarily limiting competition in the elections scheduled for the single voting day in 2024. One of the main players is suddenly the Ministry of Justice, which decides who is not allowed to participate in the elections - it now has even more power than the Central Election Commission. All this is thanks to amendments adopted in May that banned "foreign agents" from participating in the elections in any capacity, including as candidates.
• Elections can now be held under martial law - if the head of the region proposes to organise them. Members of the commissions can be paid remuneration from the regional budget - this increases their dependence on the authorities.
• And in keeping with some tradition: many changes were made right before the start of the campaigns, which speaks to their manipulative nature - they are needed to create an advantage for candidates and parties supported by authorities at various levels.
• There is also good news: the number of regions where self-nomination is possible in gubernatorial elections has increased from eight to nine. Last year, the situation was the opposite.
• Also, unlike in previous years, in region where the Legislative Assembly will be elected, the list part was not reduced in favor of the majoritarian (majoritarian mandates are easier to obtain for pro-government candidates).

Read more in our report in Russian: “Legal Features of the Elections Scheduled for September 8, 2024”.

Let us recall that during the single voting day of 2024, the heads of 25 federal subjects will be elected. In 13 regions, legislative bodies will be elected. By-elections of State Duma deputies will be held in Khakassia, Bryansk and Rostov regions. Also, in Moscow the city Duma will be elected. In addition, many local elections will be held, including direct elections of the mayors of Abakan and Anadyr.