Democracy Beyond Elections by Gergana Dimova

Author:Gergana Dimova
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030252946
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Presidential Ratings: Important Factor for Sanctioning the Government

One aspect of presidentialisation is that a big part of the political process hangs on the president’s ratings. The question is whether in a managed democracy , such as Russia, the president is as attentive to public opinion as in established democracies. The common supposition is that public opinion is less important in a regime that is isolated from popular influences. However, this might be a misconception. Treisman (2010, 2) argues that Russian politics has been far more dependent on public opinion than is commonly understood.

My findings also reveal that, despite its authoritarian tendencies, the president is fixated on his public approval, and that he would be willing to chastise the government for media allegations, if his approval ratings fall. Thus, another aspect of the presidentialisation of politics in Russia was explicated in the finding that the president’s approval ratings are an important determinant of sanctions for the government (Table 7.1). When the approval ratings of the president drop, sanctions of the government are more likely to ensue, and vice versa. The element of presidentialisation is obvious in the fact that public opinion matters in the accountability process only insofar it reflects the public attitude to the president. Surprisingly, government approval ratings are inconsequential for government sanctions. By contrast, in Germany, it is the public approval of the opposition parties that matters for imposing sanctions, and in Bulgaria, it is public approval of the government.Table 7.1Impact of the type of investigation on the incidence of government sanctions for both incompetence and misconduct charges (N = 205)

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