---
title: "Gubernatorial Elections — AP Comp Gov Definition & Review"
description: "Gubernatorial elections pick state governors in federal systems. Russia scrapped them in 2004 to lock in United Russia's dominance, a classic AP Comp Gov example."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/gubernatorial-elections"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP Comparative Government"
unit: "Unit 4"
---

# Gubernatorial Elections — AP Comp Gov Definition & Review

## Definition

Gubernatorial elections are direct popular votes for governors, the chief executives of states or regions in a federal system. In AP Comp Gov they matter most for Russia, which eliminated them in 2004 to centralize power under United Russia, and for Mexico and Nigeria, where elected governors check national power.

## What It Is

Gubernatorial elections let citizens directly choose their regional chief executives, the governors who run states inside a federal system. They only exist where power is actually divided between national and [regional governments](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/regional-governments "fv-autolink"), so among the six [AP Comp Gov](/ap-comp-gov "fv-autolink") countries, this term shows up for the three federal states. Nigeria's 36 states elect governors. Mexico's 31 states elect governors. Russia is the case the exam loves, because it's the country that took elections away.

In 2004, Putin eliminated direct gubernatorial elections and replaced them with presidential appointment of governors. That single move turned regional executives from independently elected officials into people who owed their jobs to the Kremlin, which helped United Russia consolidate a [dominant party system](/ap-comp-gov/unit-4/political-party-systems/study-guide/HNDifxoeF5hglhPzck7v "fv-autolink"). Direct elections were restored in 2012, but with new filters and registration hurdles that make it hard for genuine opposition candidates to compete. The lesson for the AP exam is that *how* regional leaders get their jobs (election vs. appointment) tells you a lot about whether federalism is real or just on paper.

## Why It Matters

This term lives in [Unit 4](/ap-comp-gov/unit-4 "fv-autolink") (Party and Electoral Systems and Citizen Organizations), specifically Topic 4.3, and supports learning objective AP Comp Gov 4.3.A on describing party systems and membership. The essential knowledge here (PAU-4.A.3) lists the rules [Russia](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/russia "fv-autolink") uses to ensure one-party dominance, and eliminating gubernatorial elections is one of the clearest examples of that playbook in action. When governors are appointed instead of elected, regional politicians have no incentive to build rival parties, and United Russia faces no serious competition outside Moscow. The term also reaches back to federalism in Unit 1, because Russia's constitution still calls the country federal even after the center stripped regions of electoral power. That gap between formal structure and actual practice is exactly the kind of analysis the exam rewards. For the full party-systems picture, link up to the [Topic 4.3 study guide](#).

## Connections

### Dominant Party System (Unit 4)

This is the payoff of Russia's move. Eliminating gubernatorial elections in 2004 meant regional leaders answered to the president, not voters, so ambitious politicians joined [United Russia](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/united-russia "fv-autolink") instead of building opposition parties. Appointment power is one of the rules (PAU-4.A.3) that keeps the dominant party dominant.

### [Federalism (Unit 1)](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/federalism)

Gubernatorial elections are the test of whether [federalism](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/federalism "fv-autolink") is real. Russia and Nigeria are both constitutionally federal (the 2018 SAQ paired them for exactly this reason), but Nigeria's elected governors hold genuine regional power while Russia's appointment era showed a federal constitution can coexist with heavy centralization.

### [El Dedazo (Unit 4)](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/el-dedazo)

Mexico's parallel story. Under PRI dominance, the outgoing president hand-picked his successor and party loyalists filled governorships, so [elections](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/elections "fv-autolink") existed but didn't really decide anything. Competitive gubernatorial elections, starting with the opposition PAN winning Baja California in 1989, were an early crack in PRI's one-party rule.

### [Hybrid Regime (Unit 1)](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/hybrid-regime)

Russia's handling of gubernatorial elections is textbook hybrid-regime behavior. The institutions of democracy exist (elections, parties, a federal constitution), but the rules get rewritten whenever they threaten the center. Canceling elections in 2004 and restoring them in 2012 with candidate filters keeps a democratic facade over authoritarian control.

## On the AP Exam

Multiple-choice questions usually test cause and effect. A stem might ask why Russia eliminated direct gubernatorial elections or how that move strengthened United Russia's grip on the party system, and the credited answer connects appointment power to one-party dominance and centralization. On the free-response side, the 2018 SAQ Q7 asked about Nigeria and Russia as constitutionally federal systems, and gubernatorial elections are perfect evidence there. You can argue Nigeria's elected state governors make its federalism more meaningful in practice, while Russia's 2004-2012 appointment system hollowed its federalism out. The skill being tested isn't reciting the definition. It's using the election-vs-appointment distinction to evaluate regime type, federalism, and party dominance.

## Gubernatorial Elections vs Federalism

Federalism is the constitutional structure that divides power between national and regional governments. Gubernatorial elections are one mechanism that makes that division real. Don't assume a federal constitution guarantees elected governors. Russia stayed constitutionally federal from 2004 to 2012 even while the president appointed every governor. On the exam, federalism describes what's on paper, and gubernatorial elections (or their absence) tell you how power actually flows.

## Key Takeaways

- Gubernatorial elections are direct popular votes for governors, the chief executives of regional governments in federal systems.
- Among AP Comp Gov countries, only the federal states (Nigeria, Mexico, and Russia) have gubernatorial elections, because the UK, China, and Iran are unitary systems.
- Russia eliminated direct gubernatorial elections in 2004, letting the president appoint governors, which helped entrench United Russia's dominant party system.
- Russia restored gubernatorial elections in 2012 but added candidate filters and registration requirements that keep real opposition from competing, fitting essential knowledge PAU-4.A.3.
- Competitive gubernatorial elections in Mexico, like PAN's 1989 win in Baja California, helped break PRI's one-party dominance, showing elections can erode a dominant party as well as sustain one.
- On comparison questions, use election vs. appointment of governors as evidence for whether a country's federalism works in practice, not just on paper.

## FAQs

### What are gubernatorial elections in AP Comparative Government?

They're direct popular elections for governors, the chief executives of states or regions in a federal system. In AP Comp Gov they apply to Nigeria, Mexico, and Russia, the three federal countries in the course.

### Did Russia permanently get rid of gubernatorial elections?

No. Putin eliminated direct gubernatorial elections in 2004 and replaced them with presidential appointments, but direct elections were restored in 2012. The catch is that new candidate filters and registration rules still make it very hard for opposition candidates to win.

### Why did Russia eliminate gubernatorial elections?

To centralize power and protect United Russia's dominance. With governors appointed by the president instead of elected, regional politicians owed loyalty to the Kremlin, which cut off a major path for opposition parties to grow.

### How are gubernatorial elections different from el dedazo?

Gubernatorial elections are a formal institution where voters choose regional executives. El dedazo was Mexico's informal practice where the outgoing PRI president hand-picked his successor. Both terms show up in Unit 4 as ways a dominant party controlled who held office, one by hollowing out elections and one by bypassing them.

### Do all six AP Comp Gov countries hold gubernatorial elections?

No, only the federal systems do. Nigeria's 36 states and Mexico's 31 states elect governors, and Russia does too (with restrictions since 2012). The UK, China, and Iran are unitary states, so regional leaders are appointed or managed by the central government rather than chosen in gubernatorial elections.

## Related Study Guides

- [4.3 What are Political Party Systems?](/ap-comp-gov/unit-4/political-party-systems/study-guide/HNDifxoeF5hglhPzck7v)

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