Electoral institutions and their political effects on party competition in local politics (the case study of Tyumen region)

The scope of the study is the impact of local electoral systems on the ability of non-dominant parties to be involved in local parliament activities. The authors argue that a local electoral system has a powerful influence on the election results that leads to the unequal conditions for party participation. Electoral systems correlate with the political diversity of local parliaments, i.e. the mixed electoral system that combines the elements of the party-list system and plurality voting is characterized by highly diverse representatives. Multi-member district demonstrates the minimum or the same number of party representatives in local parliament in comparison with the federal and regional parliaments. Nevertheless, it is often represented by one party. The minimum number of representatives and a one-party system are typical for a single-member district. The two-level electoral system is the best means for the dominant party monopoly.