缺少一個制度化和競爭性的政黨體系，民主就無法鞏固。俄羅斯自從1993年實施多黨選舉以來，政黨體系始終功能不彰、支離破碎和游離。一系列仰賴行政資源來支持克里姆林宮的「權力黨」，雖參與了每次的國會大選，但始終無法有效地凌駕反對黨之上，直到2003年國家杜馬選舉，「統一俄羅斯黨」大獲全勝，一黨獨大與威權統治的隱憂再度浮現。依恃政治權威和缺乏穩定社會基礎的「權力黨」，因其日益鞏固而衍生出較不具競爭性的政黨體系，對俄羅斯的民主化將無所助益。

Democracy cannot be consolidated without an institutionalized and competitive party system. Russia’s party system has been dysfunctional, fragmented and floating since the initiation of multi-party elections in 1993. A series of pro-Kremlin “parties of power” backed by administrative resources campaigned for every parliamentary election. The opposition parties have not been effectively marginalized by the vlast’ until the 2003 State Duma elections, which saw the United Russia’s overwhelming victory and caused concerns about the looming one-party authoritarian rule. Dependent on political authority and lack of a stable social base, an increasingly consolidated “party of power” and the resulted less competitive party system will not contribute to Russia’s democratization.