| Election Name: | 2021 Mordovia head election |
| Country: | Mordovia |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2017 Mordovia head election |
| Previous Year: | 2017 |
| Next Election: | 2026 Mordovia head election |
| Next Year: | 2026 |
| Election Date: | 17–19 September 2021 |
| Turnout: | 64.80% |
| Image1: | 2021 Artem Zdunov.jpg |
| Candidate1: | Artyom Zdunov |
| Party1: | United Russia |
| Popular Vote1: | 298,571 |
| Percentage1: | 78.26% |
| Candidate2: | Dmitry Kuzyakin |
| Party2: | Communist Party of the Russian Federation |
| Popular Vote2: | 43,801 |
| Percentage2: | 11.48% |
| Image3: | LDPR |
| Candidate3: | Yevgeny Tyurin |
| Party3: | Liberal Democratic Party of Russia |
| Popular Vote3: | 23,688 |
| Percentage3: | 6.21% |
| Map Size: | 250px |
| Head | |
| Before Election: | Artyom Zdunov |
| Before Party: | United Russia |
| After Party: | United Russia |
| After Election: | Artyom Zdunov |
The 2021 Republic of Mordovia head election took place on 17–19 September 2021, on common election day, coinciding with election to the State Duma. Acting Head Artyom Zdunov was elected for his first full term.[1]
Vladimir Volkov was the Head of the Republic of Mordovia since 2012, but he is a fixture in Mordovian politics after serving as Prime Minister of Mordovia in 1995–2012 under Nikolay Merkushkin. Volkov won his latest and only election in 2017 with 89.19% of the vote.[2] On 18 November 2020 Vladimir Volkov asked Russian President Vladimir Putin about his retirement, and Putin appointed Artyom Zdunov as acting Head of Mordovia.[3] Zdunov, an ethnic Mordvin, previously served as Prime Minister of Dagestan in 2018–2020 and Minister of Economy of Tatarstan in 2014–2018.[4] Under Merkushkin and Volkov Mordovia was considered an "electoral sultanate" - a Russian region with high administrative control over voting process which results in consistent support for ruling United Russia, so the September head election is characterised as uncompetitive and predictable.[5]
Only political parties can nominate candidates for head election in Mordovia, self-nomination is not possible. However, candidate is not obliged to be a member of the nominating party. Candidate for Head of the Republic of Mordovia should be a Russian citizen and at least 30 years old. Candidates for Head should not have a foreign citizenship or residence permit. Each candidate in order to be registered is required to collect at least 7% of signatures of members and heads of municipalities (184–193 signatures).[6] Also gubernatorial candidates present 3 candidacies to the Federation Council and election winner later appoints one of the presented candidates.
All sums are in rubles.
| Financial Report | Source | Zdunov | Kuzyakin | Lemkin | Tyurin | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor= | bgcolor= | bgcolor= | bgcolor= | ||||||
| First | [8] | 20,000 | 220,500 | 20,000 | 200,000 | ||||
| Final | [9] | 13,520,000 | 443,400 | 25,000 | 1,000,000 | ||||
|- style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:center;"! style="text-align:left;" colspan=2| Candidate! style="text-align:left;"| Party! width="75"|Votes! width="30"|%|-| style="background-color:;"|| style="text-align:left;"| Artyom Zdunov (incumbent)| style="text-align:left;"| United Russia| 298,571| 78.26|-| style="background-color:;"|| style="text-align:left;"| Dmitry Kuzyakin| style="text-align:left;"| Communist Party| 43,801| 11.48|-| style="background-color:;"|| style="text-align:left;"| Yevgeny Tyurin| style="text-align:left;"| Liberal Democratic Party| 23,688| 6.21|-| style="background-color:|| style="text-align:left;"| Aleksandr Lemkin| style="text-align:left;"| Party of Pensioners| 10,081| 2.64|-| style="text-align:left;" colspan="3"| Valid votes| 376,141| 98.59|-| style="text-align:left;" colspan="3"| Blank ballots| 5,371| 1.41|- style="font-weight:bold"| style="text-align:left;" colspan="3"| Total| 381,512| 100.00|-| style="background-color:#E9E9E9;" colspan="6"||-| style="text-align:left;" colspan="3"| Turnout| 381,512| 64.80|-| style="text-align:left;" colspan="3"| Registered voters| 588,731| 100.00|-| colspan="5" style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"||- style="font-weight:bold"| colspan="4" |Source:|[10] |}
Incumbent Senator Sergey Kislyak (Independent) was re-appointed to the Federation Council.[11]
