Subnational Presidency in 1990s Russia: Transformation of Head of Kabardino-Balkaria

The political processes in Russia during the 1990s significantly enhanced the role of governors and republican presidents in decision-making at both federal and subnational levels. This article explores the factors underlying the establishment and evolution of the presidential office through the case study of Kabardino-Balkaria. An analysis of sources reveals a dynamic hierarchy of factors, including relationships with the federal center, consensus among local elites, and the degree of electoral legitimacy. The creation of the presidency emerged as a rational choice for the ruling group, whose members sought an arbiter figure to resolve inter-elite disputes and legitimize the existing regime. In Kabardino-Balkaria, a late Soviet governance system was reproduced, possessing sufficient potential for further personalization of political management. Within the formal system of separation of powers, the president wielded numerous mechanisms to influence the legislative assembly and delegated responsibility for implementing the political agenda to the republic’s government.