TY - JOUR A1 - Eichhorn, Kristin A1 - Linhart, Eric T1 - Patterns of Competitiveness in Russian Gubernatorial Elections JF - International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society N2 - Competitiveness in electoral authoritarian regimes is compromised by management of the electoral arena through various kinds of manipulation. This study links two dimensions of competitiveness, namely fairness and contestation. We analyze the regional heterogeneity of both dimensions for Russian gubernatorial elections held between 2012 and 2019. To assess competitiveness, we use crowd-sourced electoral observation reports and data from the Central Election Commission. Our analysis reveals significant regional variation in both dimensions. Nevertheless, opposition victories are rare and only occur in exceptional cases. Low levels of electoral malpractices seem to be a necessary but not sufficient condition for close election results. Windows of opportunity for the opposition arise only if the regime misperceives the closeness of the race and if the opposition nominates prominent candidates. Overall, these findings shed light on the complex factors influencing the competitiveness of elections in electoral authoritarian regimes like Russia. KW - election KW - competitive authoritarianism KW - competitiveness KW - contestation KW - fairness KW - Russia KW - regional politics Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:526-opus4-18497 VL - 38 SP - 215 EP - 240 PB - Springer ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eichhorn, Kristin T1 - Selecting the Electorate: Disenfranchisement and Selective Voter Registration in Electoral Autocracies JF - Politikon: The IAPSS Journal of Political Science N2 - Autocrats utilize (nominally) democratic elections, to claim procedural legitimation. To secure their political survival in these elections, they have an extensive menu of manipulation at their disposal. These manipulations are not only addressed at contestation but also inclusiveness of the elections. Although autocrats formally claim universal suffrage, informal restrictions and practices are implemented. Analyzing elections held between 1970 and 2020 in electoral autocracies, I find empiric evidence for strategic adjustments of suffrage rights as a response to electoral contexts. KW - electoral autocracy KW - inclusiveness KW - legitimation KW - political freedom KW - disenfranchisement Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:526-opus4-18048 SN - 2414-6633 VL - 55 SP - 63 EP - 83 PB - International Association for Political Science Students CY - Montréal ER -