The article is devoted to the analysis of changes in the electoral potential of opposition parties in the local elections of the Belgorod City Council in 2013 and 2018 in conditions of increasing anti-elitist public opinion. The hypothesis of an increase in the activity of opposition parties at the local level has not been confirmed. We did not find any legal or political obstacles to registering party candidates. However, parliamentary and non-parliamentary opposition parties practically did not spend organizational and financial resources to ensure the victory of their candidates for deputies in favorable political conditions. The “United Russia” party has retained its dominance in the city council, although the total number of voters has declined. The continued dominance of “United Russia” is explained by the party’s ability to mobilize its supporters on election day and attractive institutional preferences for candidates, increasing their chances of being elected. There was an increase in the electoral support of the LDPR, the “Russian party of pensioners for justice”, and the party “Patriots of Russia”.
