Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Tatarstan, Kalmykia, Mari El, Mordovia, Sakha and Chuvashia held their first elections in 1991.

[1] In 1990, a fundamentally important reform took place: the speakers of the regional Supreme Councils (in the republics) and the chairmen of the Soviets of People's Deputies (in oblasts, krais, autonomous okrugs and federal cities) became senior officials instead of the first secretaries of the CPSU local committees.

[2] After the August putsch of 1991, Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree "On the issues of the activities of executive authorities."

However a week later, on November 1, the Congress of People's Deputies introduced a moratorium on gubernatorial elections until December 1992 and approved the president's right to appoint regional leaders.

In June 1992 Popov resigned and his vice mayor, former chairman of the city executive committee Yury Luzhkov succeeded him.

Chairman of Leningrad City Council Anatoly Sobchak won with 66% of the vote, representing the democratic anti-communist forces.

Sobchak's only rival was Yuri Sevenard, member of the Leningrad City Council, director of Lengidroenergospetsstroy industrial construction association.

Elections were scheduled by the "All-National Congress of the Chechen People", which seized power in eastern portions of falling apart Republic of Checheno-Ingushetia.

The following year, Russian troops were withdrawn from the republic[13] and Dudayev's secessionist government obtained full power over Chechnya until the First Chechen war broke out in 1994.

Chairman of the Supreme Soviet Vladislav Zotin became the first President of Mari El Republic after winning in the runoff on 15 December.

His opponents were historian Aleksandr Kazimov and director of Yoshkar-Ola shoe factory Anatoly Popov, affiliated with Mari Ushem movement.

[21] Chairman of the Supreme Soviet Mikhail Nikolayev won 3/4 of the vote, running in pair with construction and investment minister Vyacheslav Shtyrov.

Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Adygea[5] Aslan Dzharimov won the presidency defeating associate professor Pshimaf Khakuz of Krasnodar Polytechnic Institute[23] in a runoff which held on 5 January 1992.

Deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of Kabardino-Balkaria[5] Valery Kokov ran uncontested after trucking company director Felix Kharayev[19] withdrew his candidacy.

[26] Presidential elections in Tuva were held on 15 March 1992 despite the moratorium established by the Congress of People's Deputies of Russia.