1995 Russian gubernatorial elections
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6 August – 30 December 1995
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15 Heads of Federal Subjects from 89 | |
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 1995 Russian regional elections:
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Gubernatorial elections in 1995 took place in fifteen regions of the Russian Federation.
Background
[edit]On 3 October 1994, the President of Russia Boris Yeltsin signed the Decree No. 1969 stating that elections for heads of administrations should be held only with the president's permission, until another procedure is established by federal law.[1][2]
The head of administration is included in the unified system of executive power in the Russian Federation, formed by the federal executive bodies and executive bodies of the regions ... is subordinate to the President and the Government of Russia ... Appointment and dismissal of heads of administrations of krais, oblasts, federal cities, autonomous entities is made by decrees of the President on the proposal of the Chairman of the Government
In August 1995, elections for the head of the administration of Sverdlovsk Oblast, unauthorized by the president, were held, and on December 17, in accordance with a presidential decree, elections were scheduled in 11 regions. In the same year, the president of Kalmykia was re-elected and the head of the Chechen Republic was elected.
Race summary
[edit]| Federal subject[3] | Incumbent | Incumbent since | Election day | Candidates | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sverdlovsk Oblast | Aleksey Strakhov | 1994 | 6 August (first round) |
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Incumbent lost election. Former governor elected. |
| 20 August (runoff) |
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| Kalmykia (snap election) | Kirsan Ilyumzhinov | 1993 | 15 October |  Kirsan Ilyumzhinov 85.09%(ran unopposed) | Incumbent re-elected. |
| Chechnya | Doku Zavgayev | 1995[a] | 17 December | Doku Zavgayev 74.8% (ran unopposed)[4] | Incumbent elected to full term. |
| Chuvashia[5] (referendum) | Nikolay Fyodorov | 1993 | 17 December |
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Office of president preserved. |
| Primorsky Krai | Yevgeny Nazdratenko | 1993 | 17 December |
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Incumbent elected to full term. |
| Belgorod Oblast | Yevgeny Savchenko | 1993 | 17 December | Incumbent elected to full term. | |
| Moscow Oblast | Anatoly Tyazhlov | 1991 | 17 December (first round) |
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Incumbent elected to full term. |
| 30 December (runoff) |
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| Nizhny Novgorod Oblast | Boris Nemtsov | 1991 | 17 December |
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Incumbent elected to full term. |
| Novgorod Oblast | Mikhail Prusak | 1991 | 17 December |
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Incumbent elected to full term. |
| Novosibirsk Oblast | Ivan Indinok | 1993 | 17 December (first round) |
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Incumbent lost election. Former governor elected. |
| 24 December (runoff) |
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| Omsk Oblast | Leonid Polezhayev | 1991 | 17 December |
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Incumbent elected to full term. |
| Orenburg Oblast[7] | Vladimir Yelagin | 1991 | 17 December |
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Incumbent elected to full term. |
| Tambov Oblast[8] | Oleg Betin | 1995 | 17 December (first round) |
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Incumbent lost election. New governor elected. |
| 24 December (runoff) |
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| Tomsk Oblast | Viktor Kress | 1991 | 17 December |
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Incumbent elected to full term. |
| Tver Oblast[9][10] | Vladimir Suslov | 1991 | 17 December |
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Incumbent lost election. New governor elected. |
| Yaroslavl Oblast | Anatoly Lisitsyn | 1991 | 17 December |
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Incumbent elected to full term. |
Kalmykia
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15 October 1995
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 Ilyumzhinov:
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A snap presidential election was held in Kalmykia on 15 October 1995. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was re-elected, running unopposed. This term (seven years) was the longest among the Russian governors. According to Ilyumzhinov himself, his competitors failed to collect signatures for registration, and Ilyumzhinov's administration decided not to find any nominal candidate, because he did not want to "fool the people".[14]
Chechnya
[edit]The 1995 elections for the head of Chechen Republic were held on December 17, simultaneously with the elections to the State Duma. Contrary to the laws of Russia, but according to the decision of the Supreme Council of the former Checheno-Ingushetia (which was restored as a temporary authority of Chechnya),[15] every resident of Chechnya could vote wherever it suits them. The separatists staged a number of provocations. A few hours before the elections, a hospital in Gudermes was stormed by them. One of the schools in Grozny, where the polling station was located, was thrown by militants with grenades.[16]
On December 6, the congress of the "Union of the People for the Revival of the Republic" was failed to held because of the government restrictions: delegates from the southern parts of Chechnya were stopped at checkpoints. The union was headed by the former chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Russia Ruslan Khasbulatov, considered Zavgayev's only real rival. For these reasons, on December 9, Khasbulatov withdrew from the elections.[17]
According to official sources, 50.43% of Chechnya's residents took part in the voting. In addition, Russian military contingent stationed in Chechnya (about 40 thousand people) took part in the elections. The elections were monitored by 60 OSCE representatives, as well as 150 Russian and international observers, and no serious violations were identified.[16] Other sources stating that OSCE representatives left Chechnya during the elections and none of the international observers attended the voting.[17]
Notes
[edit]- ↑ Prime minister of the (pro-Russian) Government of national revival since October 1995, contested by Dzhokhar Dudayev as president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.
References
[edit]- ↑ Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of October 3, 1994 No. 1969 "On measures to strengthen the unified system of executive power in the Russian Federation"
- ↑ 3 October 1994: Regulation "On the head of administration" approved, Electronic Museum of Russia's constitutional history
- ↑ Gubernatorial elections — 1995, politika.su
- ↑ Ivanov 2019, p. 358.
- ↑ Шабунин, Дмитрий. "Чувашская Республика". Регионы России. Хроника и руководители. Том 8 (PDF) (in Russian). Slavic-Eurasian Research Center. p. 145. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
- ↑ "Омская область в декабре 1995 года". Institute for Humanities and Political Studies (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2019-08-23.
- ↑ "Выборы Главы исполнительной власти Оренбургской области 17 декабря 1995 года" (in Russian). Archived from the original on 1 May 2001.
- ↑ "Выборы главы администрации Тамбовской области 17/24 декабря 1995 года". Election Commission of Tambov Oblast (in Russian). Retrieved 20 October 2025.
- ↑ "Выборы губернатора Тверской области 17 декабря 1995 года". electoralgeography.com (in Russian).
- ↑ "Выборы в местные органы власти - Тверская область" [Local government elections - Tver Oblast]. society.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 30 July 2003.
- ↑ "Богданов Валерий Петрович". gorod-elista.ru (in Russian).
- ↑ Ivanov 2019, p. 358–359.
- 1 2 "Республика Калмыкия. Выборы президента Республики, 1995" [Republic of Kalmykia. Election of the President of the Republic, 1995]. electoralgeography.com (in Russian). Retrieved 1 February 2026.
- ↑ Ivanov 2019, p. 364.
- ↑ "Russia-Chechnya: chain of mistakes and crimes. Chronicle of the armed conflict. 1995. October". Memorial Society. Archived from the original on 2016-12-25. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
- 1 2 How Chechnya elects, Kommersant (10 October 2003)
- 1 2 "Violation of the electoral rights of citizens". Memorial Society. Archived from the original on 2016-12-24.
Sources
[edit]- Ivanov, Vitaly (2019). Глава субъекта Российской Федерации. История губернаторов. Том I [Head of the subject of the Russian Federation. History of governors. Volume I] (in Russian). ISBN 978-5-907250-14-7.