Instruments of the Influence of System-forming Political Parties on the Enhancing the Legitimacy of the Russian Electoral Process

Abstract

The author analyzes the role of system-forming political parties and instruments of their influence on the increasing the legitimacy of the electoral process in Russia. The study is based on an actororiented approach, in which parties are considered as actors of the political system, whose activities and technologies can have a positive impact on the course of democratization and increasing legitimacy. The author defines the mechanisms introduced by the parties aimed to increase the openness of the elections and involve more people to take part in the elections.The results of the analysis show that in the modern life parties have opportunities and are interested to increase legitimacy of the Russian electoral system. In the conditions when the attitude to the elections of the population is not always positive, the parties become an institution capable of offering and developing tools aimed to enhance democracy, openness and justice of the electoral process.

Keywords

• political parties
• electoral system
• political party system
• electoral system
• legitimacy
• democratization