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T1HE POLITICAL DYNAMICS of the postcommunist Russian Federation pose challenging theoretical problems for comparativists interested in democratization. On the one hand, during the first decade after the collapse of communism, reasonably competitive elections and referenda on issues of major social importance became a standard feature of Russian political life. Nationwide voting took place in nearly every year from 1990 through 2000; the president, parliamentary deputies, and almost all regional governors were forced to pass the test of electoral competition. The Russian constitution adopted in December 1993, despite its well-publicized flaws and frequent proposals for its reform, endured into the new century. In addition, basic democratic freedoms such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly—although there were certainly serious problems in these areas as well—were …