# 1995 Russian gubernatorial elections

Gubernatorial elections in 1995 took place in fifteen regions of the Russian Federation.

## Background

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.
   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

| Federal Subject | Date | Incumbent | Incumbent status | Candidates | Governor-elect |
| Sverdlovsk Oblast | 6 August, 20 August | Aleksey Strakhov | Appointed 1994 | Y Eduard Rossel 26.01% / 59.86% Aleksey Strakhov (NDR) 23.44% / 32.10% Valery Trushnikov 20.30% Vladimir Kadochnikov (CPRF) 8.06% Malik Gaisin 4.89% | Eduard Rossel |
| Kalmykia | 15 October | Kirsan Ilyumzhinov | Elected 1993 | Y Kirsan Ilyumzhinov 85.09% (ran unopposed) | Kirsan Ilyumzhinov |
| Chechnya | 17 December | Doku Zavgayev | Chairman of the Government | Y Doku Zavgayev 90.00% (ran unopposed) | Doku Zavgayev |
| Primorsky Krai | 17 December | Yevgeny Nazdratenko | Appointed 1993 | Y Yevgeny Nazdratenko (NDR) 68.55% Viktor Cherepkov 17.24% | Yevgeny Nazdratenko (NDR) |
| Belgorod Oblast | 17 December | Yevgeny Savchenko | Appointed 1993 | Y Yevgeny Savchenko (NDR) 55.54% Mikhail Beskhmenitsyn 32.19% Sergey Sychyov (LDPR) 6.04% | Yevgeny Savchenko (NDR) |
| Moscow Oblast | 17 December, 30 December | Anatoly Tyazhlov | Appointed 1991 | Y Anatoly Tyazhlov (NDR) 43.33% / 70.83% Valery Galchenko 14.67% / 21.41% Oleg Antonov 14.07% Viktor Dorkin 5.74% | Anatoly Tyazhlov (NDR) |
| Nizhny Novgorod Oblast | 17 December | Boris Nemtsov | Appointed 1991 | Y Boris Nemtsov 58.37% Vyacheslav Rasteryayev 26.17% Oleg Maslov (KRO) 6.17% | Boris Nemtsov |
| Novgorod Oblast | 17 December | Mikhail Prusak | Appointed 1991 | Y Mikhail Prusak (NDR) 56.17% Anatoly Kuznetsov 8.94% Valery Gaidym (CPRF) 8.72% | Mikhail Prusak (NDR) |
| Novosibirsk Oblast | 17 December, 24 December | Ivan Indinok | Appointed 1993 | Y Vitaly Mukha 18.12% / 54.04% Ivan Indinok (NDR) 22.81% / 37.24% Aleksey Manannikov 17.49% Ivan Starikov 16.72% Yevgeny Loginov (LDPR) 15.58% | Vitaly Mukha |
| Omsk Oblast | 17 December | Leonid Polezhayev | Appointed 1991 | Y Leonid Polezhayev (NDR) 59.62% Viktor Lotkov 13.75% Leonid Gorynin (KRO) 8.79% Yevgeny Pokhitailo (CPRF) 8.27% | Leonid Polezhayev (NDR) |
| Orenburg Oblast | 17 December | Vladimir Yelagin | Appointed 1991 | Y Vladimir Yelagin (NDR) 58.78% Gennady Donkovtsev 21.69% Yury Kalyuzhny (Derzhava) 7.79% | Vladimir Yelagin (NDR) |
| Tambov Oblast | 17 December, 24 December | Oleg Betin | Appointed 1995 | Y Aleksandr Ryabov (CPRF) 36.80% / 52.62% Oleg Betin (NDR) 41.97% / 43.48% Pavel Gorbunov 7.34% | Aleksandr Ryabov (CPRF) |
| Tomsk Oblast | 17 December | Viktor Kress | Appointed 1991 | Y Viktor Kress (NDR) 52.09% Pyotr Koshel (LDPR) 15.52% Ivan Tyutrin 15.10% Rostislav Popadeykin 9.61% | Viktor Kress (NDR) |
| Tver Oblast | 17 December | Vladimir Suslov | Appointed 1991 | Y Vladimir Platov 50.50% Vladimir Suslov 35.16% | Vladimir Platov |
| Yaroslavl Oblast | 17 December | Anatoly Lisitsyn | Appointed 1991 | Y Anatoly Lisitsyn (NDR) 51.81% Vladimir Kornilov (CPRF) 33.10% | Anatoly Lisitsyn (NDR) |

## Kalmykia

In October 1995 Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was re-elected as President of Kalmykia in early elections, 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".

## Chechnya

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), 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.
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.
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. Other sources stating that OSCE representatives left Chechnya during the elections and none of the international observers attended the voting.