Big country - different electoral systems

The Russian State Duma passed a bill allowing the regions to stop direct gubernatorial elections. Heads of Russian regions will be able to be elected indirectly. Governors will be approved by the Russian president, and lists of candidates for regional leaders will be given by parties represented in the State Duma or in the regional parliament. 

"It could be used by regions with unstable political and criminal situations. First of all, in some of the North Caucasus republics, such as Dagestan, Ingushetia, Karachay-Cherkessia. The lack of security in these constituent parts is somewhat connected with the activities of terrorist groups there. Destructive forces can use direct elections to undermine stability in southern Russia. So these republics should be allowed to cancel the direct election of their leaders, if these elections could serve as a source of further tension and threats to the safety of citizens in the region," United Russia MP Gadzhimet Safaraliev said.

He also does not see anything wrong with the fact that the different parts of the country will use different legal forms to determine their heads. Gadzhimet Safaraliev thus referred to the experience of other federal states, including the United States, where governors are elected on the basis of local and regional laws.

At the same time, the head of the Duma Committee on Nationalities believes that "with stable and peaceful development, each subject of the Russian Federation should still strive for direct elections of the head of the region."

The head of Ingushetia, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, said that he is generally against direct elections of governors and noted that he supports common electoral rules for the whole country. In an interview with the newspaper "Kommersant", Yunus-Bek Yevkurov said it is necessary to return to the system of appointing governors in the entire country. "There is a head of state who is elected by the people. He is elected, and he should have the right to appoint. The presidential administration will never appoint a slacker who will not work. There is not point in it," the head of Ingushetia said.

The danger of elections, according to Yevkurov, is in the decomposition of society. "When it comes to elections in the region - it is not a democracy. But at the national level it is a sign of democracy, We have shown the highest modern democracy in the presidential elections." He said "it is too early" for the regions to elect their heads, because of the risk of fraud and buying votes.  He believes that Russia will need another 10-30 years to arrive at it.