ABSTRACT
Russia's electoral politics, however, are constrained and relatively isolated from power relations. Nevertheless, electoral politics have limited the choices of the regime and, however imperfect the procedures, determined the nature of Russia's emergence from communism. While the elections may have been flawed, the commitment to electoral politics precludes some of the harsher options. The electoral system was manipulated by reformers to promote specific goals, above all to encourage the development of a multiparty system. The law on political parties adopted in 2001 had a profound effect on the electoral process, allowing only registered parties to stand and changing electoral finances. Parties entering parliament from 2003 enjoyed a number of new benefits. They are financed from the state budget according to the number of votes that they receive, and their candidates in later elections do not have to gather signatures or provide a deposit to participate.
