Hybrid Democracy in Multilevel System

In the modern political system of Russia, two trends dominate. On the one hand, the trend towards centralization of power is obvious and, as a result, the strengthening of authoritarian methods of governance. On the other hand, democratic institutions formed in the early 1990s continue to function. The combination of democratic practices with rigid authoritarian control led to the formation of hybrid forms of power institutions. The prospects and possibilities for the existence of these institutions remain uncertain, but it is obvious that there is a limit to the existence of such intermediate forms. The purpose of this research is to show the features of functioning and prospects for the development of democratic political institutions in the context of strengthening authoritarian tendencies. The current political system is a system of consolidated elites, which has a very stable basis. The system is stable due to the fact that it includes an economic political and social complex of control mechanisms. The position of the political elite, as well as its legitimacy, is ensured by the current political regime. But the prospects for the development of such a system are very limited. In fact, any crisis (external or internal) can provoke uncontrolled changes in government institutions that can lead to the destruction of democratic practices. The first part of the paper discusses the features of the formation of democratic political institutions in the Russian regions. The second part analyzes the main components of authoritarian practices in modern Russia, the reasons for the strengthening of authoritarian tendencies as the political system stabilizes, as well as their impact on democratic institutions. The third part discusses the possible prospects for the existence of hybrid forms of democratic institutions in the face of increased authoritarian tendencies A systematic approach was used for analysis.