EVOLUTION OF THE PARTY SYSTEM OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION: PROBLEMS AND TRENDS

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze the institutional conditions and limitations of the development of the party system of our country, which impede the effective performance by this institution of the functions of ensuring the representativeness, publicity and competition of the political process. The research methodology is based on the principles of an institutional approach that allows assessing the nature of the influence on factors such as the type of electoral system, norms of party legislation, and strong presidential power on party building processes. The author argues that the party policy direction chosen in the early 2000s, which consisted in the development of instruments of control over parties and electoral processes, led to the formation of such a party system, the main actors of which, including those that have long been playing the role of parliamentary opposition, do not receive sufficient voter support and do not enjoy their trust. At the same time, regional practice shows that the existing party system, in principle, can reflect the main political interests and create channels for their expression. As a result of the research, it is proved that party reforms can be effective in the framework of the “turn” of state party policy, which involves not only adjusting the institutional conditions for political parties, but also turning to civil society as a subject, the main actor in party building processes.