European experts, journalists and the public pay close attention to the changes in political and economic situation in Russia. The Republic of Tatarstan is an example of the most steadily developing region in the Russian Federation. Perceptions of the regional changes and their interpretation, as reflected in the foreign press and in the scientific literature, allows estimating the nature and direction of political and economic transformations.

Key words: regional elections, socio-economic indicators, socio-cultural factors, democratic process.