According to the report, fewer politicians are vying for State Duma seats because of mounting restrictions that come with the job, including a ban on holding foreign assets and meeting with voters outdoors.
The committee report also found that prospective candidates are reluctant to run in elections if their positions are at odds with the predominating political line represented by United Russia.
The crisis facing Russian political parties may be advantageous to opposition groups, including opposition leader Alexei Navalny, as they work to fill this political vacuum, the report added.
“After 2016, no opposition exists, with the exception of Navalny, who can now operate almost without competition outside of Moscow,” the report’s author, Alexander Kynev, wrote.
