Elections in the post-Sovjet area (September 2008)

To mark the parliamentary elections in Belarus on September 28, 2008, the latest edition of “Research Special” offers a comprehensive and annotated overview of the most current literature and research references on the topic “Elections in the post-Soviet area.”

The former Soviet Republics have, at least formally, been undergoing a transition to democratic structures since the disintegration of the USSR in 1991. This includes holding regular elections oriented towards the newly established constitutions and electoral laws. The so-called “foundation elections” through 1994 were followed by further parliamentary and presidential elections; which made it possible to trace the respective countries’ democratic development through their course and results.

The 2004 “Orange Revolution” (as it is known) in the Ukraine, caused by obvious electoral manipulations, demonstrates to Western observers that the mere existence of democratic institutions is no guarantee for actual democratic processes, such as the holding of free and fair elections. Even the 2008 presidential and parliamentary elections which took place in Georgia (January and May), as well as the presidential elections in Russia (March) gave Western observers cause for criticism.

Against this background “Research Special” deals with the specific conditions, processes, and results of national elections in the countries of the former Soviet Union (except the Baltic States) as well as with the role of international actors. The edition is supplemented with contributions from Stefan Meiser and Vladimir Gelman who provide readers with an overview of the state and development of electoral research with an emphasis on the CIS area - from a western perspective and, with a view to the discipline from a Russian viewpoint as well.

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