The Puzzle of Putin's Gubernatorial Appointments

This article confronts the puzzles at the heart of Vladimir Putin's decision to eliminate Russia's gubernatorial elections: specifically, the lack of resistance among the regions to Putin's proposal, and the relative ease and speed with which electoral institutions were dismantled. It considers explanations at the central and regional levels, revealing that the Kremlin engaged regional interests and incentives to make the system of appointments seem appealing. After considering competing accounts of Putin's objectives, analysis then focuses on the Kremlin's revival of Soviet-era institutional practices as serving to make the elimination of gubernatorial elections seemingly inevitable while rendering compliance as obligatory.