Competitive model of election of the head of local self-government in the modern Russian municipal practice: advantages and shortcomings

The article is devoted to the study of the problem of using of the competitive mechanism in the formation of local self-government bodies in the modern Russian municipal practice. The authors consider advantages and shortcomings of application of competitive procedures for replacement of posts of heads of municipalities. The materials of sociological research (a survey of population of the Tver Region and expert interviewing conducted in 2015-2016) are given. It shows that one third of ordinary citizens and a significant part of municipal leaders support the introduction of competitive models of election of heads of local self-government. This support indicates the availability of legitimation potential of the population towards this method of forming executive bodies of the municipality. The competitive mechanism does not contradict the principles of municipal democracy; it provides the necessary depth of feedback to the population, the accuracy of management and stability of the self-governing system.