Parliament Elections of 1999 in Demographic Mirror

Abstract

Since 1989 distribution of places in Russian Parliament is made upon the number of voters in the region, not the total number of people living there. In 1989 the shift towards such a system within the USSR meant losses for the republics with high level of natural increment. In nowadays Russia interregional differences in age structure are not so significant as they were in the USSR.
The paper reviews the issues of gender and age differences in behaviour patterns of electorate. The aged people oriented at Communists forces compose the most mobilised part of electorate. Queues or stoppages with bulletins cut off electorate's youngest part, oriented at the «right» forces. SPS (Unit of Right Forces) and Zhirinovsky's block attract the youngest voters, while people aged 55 and more make half of Communists' electorate. Gender also influences voters' behaviour, especially in elections of leaders, comparing to elections of political parties: women's electing activity is higher, besides they tend to vote not for the party programme, but for leader's image.
Gender and age specifics is considered in electoral campaigns' design. Nevertheless the attempts to mobilise a large group of voters of the same age and gender were unsuccessful: society is more differentiated in other fields. But these attempts are being made quite regularly, especially popular is appealing to women.
Gender and age characteristics of candidates and deputies themselves of various political forces differ as well. The peak of women's political activity comes at the age from 50 to 60. The oldest fraction is KPRF (Communist party), the youngest is LDPR (Liberal-Democratic party).
In parliament practice of elections (both Russian and of the whole world) the principle of territories' equal representation is guided. But as the right for being elected in any territorial unit is not limited to the candidate's place of residence, the increase in the share of Muscovites among deputies is being observed.