Though United Russia candidate Sergey Sobyanin is expected to win Moscow’s mayoral elections on September 8, popular opposition figure Aleksey Navalny is also expected to make a strong showing in the polls despite his recent conviction on misappropriation of funds. Pundits and democracy activists will watch closely to see if these elections are marred by accusations of fraud or incite protests as the parliamentary elections of December 2011 did.

In this media briefing, Wilson Center experts provided analysis and commentary on the elections and the public reaction.