What are the democratic elements in Russia’s political system?

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union between 1989-1991, Russia emerged as a nominal democracy. Few expected Russia’s transition to democratic rule to be easy since the country lacked any democratic tradition. As expected, the transition has not been smooth and instead of the consolidation of democratic norms – such as the rule of law, Russia has seen the resurgence of its more traditional authoritarian forms of governance. However, it has not entirely moved back towards a full-fledged authoritarian regime. Relatively free elections do take place, Russians are free to travel and some opposition is allowed. This is has led political scientists to classify Russia as a hybrid regime. A hybrid regime is defined as containing elements of both democratic and authoritarian systems. In this short essay, my objective is to identify these contrasting elements. In the first paragraph, I specify the democratic elements that still exist in Russia and then in the second paragraph I elaborate on the more authoritarian elements that characterize the political system. Finally, I conclude by arguing that Russia is more _________ than _________.

Paragraph 2: What are the democratic elements in Russia’s political system?

Paragraph 3: What are the authoritarian elements in Russia’s political system?

Paragraph 4: Conclusion (“Russia is more ___________ than ____________.”)