This chapter provides all basic political, economic, and demographic data on every territorial unit of the Russian Federation, its local government structure, regional politics and electoral history through the spring 2000 elections and the summer 2000 reorganization of the Novgorod Oblast. Novgorod Oblast is located in the northwest of Russia and borders Leningrad, Vologda, Tver, and Pskov oblasts. The oblast enjoys a favorable geographic location, being at the crossroads of many domestic and international trade routes, connecting Moscow, St. Petersburg, and the Baltic states. Russian President Boris Yeltsin first appointed Mikhail Prusak governor of Novgorod Oblast in 1991. The entire focus of Prusak’s tenure as governor of Novgorod Oblast has been to attract foreign investment to the region. Prusak helped form the holding company, which has been praised by Federation Council Speaker and Orel Governor Yegor Stroev.