Ал Саррай Ясир Али Хаддад

In classical political science and theory of democracy the opposition of personalistic and institutional factors of the political transformation is seen as mainstream. It reveals an inverse relationship between these practices: the personalization of political regimes tends to develop in case of the lack of democratic institutions which results in a further erosion of the entire institutional system. However, as the author shows, it is also possible to establish a process in which a strong political leader carries out institutional reforms, consolidating established democratic practices. From this point of view, the article provides the analysis of the initiatives proposed in January 2020 by the President of the Russian Federation to amend the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The conclusion reached by the author is that these amendments can create an institutional basis for further democratic changes in Russia.