Municipal filter

The municipal filter is a requirement for candidates for governor - heads of Russian regions - to collect signatures of municipal deputies in favor of their nomination. Any candidate nominated for the position of governor, either by a party or self-nominated, must collect from 5% to 10% of signatures of municipal deputies (representatives of municipal districts, municipal districts, urban districts, as well as their heads in case of their direct election) in favor of their nomination. Each region determines its own "municipal filter", i.e. the number of signatures a candidate must collect. Each municipal deputy may, but is not obliged to, support only one candidate for the position of governor. A further restriction is the requirement to be supported in at least three quarters of the municipalities (districts and counties) in the region.

The municipal filter was introduced under the pretext of reducing the potential emergence of unreliable/radical candidates during the return of direct gubernatorial elections in 2012. In practice, because of its strict requirements, the municipal filter makes it nearly impossible for opposition candidates to stand for election. Since the municipal level is dominated by United Russia deputies, it is almost impossible to collect signatures for candidates not supported by United Russia. Experts are unanimous that the municipal filter reduces competition in elections and is used to get rid of strong candidates uncontrolled by Kremlin.