A Spatial Voting Model of Russia

n this work factor analysis is used to obtain a two-dimensional map of ideological preferences of the Russian elec-torate. It is shown that Moscow is the most polarized region with respect to ideological preferences. A spatial model of voting, based on the assumption that the voter’s utility depends on the distance between his and the party's ideological posi-tions and valence, is estimated. It is proved that ideological preferences significantly affect the voter's choice. We demonstrate the communist bias in rural regions can be entirely explained in terms of measured ideological preferences.