Since 1991, CPSU lost all the power, and the head of the Oblast administration, and eventually the governor was appointed/elected alongside elected regional parliament.

The highest executive body is the Oblast Government, which includes territorial executive bodies such as district administrations, committees, and commissions that facilitate development and run the day to day matters of the province.

[17] Vital statistics for 2022:[18][19] Total fertility rate (2022):[20] 1.08 children per woman Life expectancy (2021):[21] Total — 68.00 years (male — 63.28, female — 72.83) Ethnic composition (2010):[15] According to a 2012 survey[23] 19.5% of the population of Smolensk Oblast adheres to the Russian Orthodox Church, 7% are unaffiliated generic Christians, 3% are Orthodox Christian believers who do not belong to church or belong to other (non-Russian) Orthodox churches, 2% are Old Believers, 1% are adherents of the Slavic native faith (Rodnovery) movement, 0.4% are members of the Catholic Church.

In addition, 45% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious", 13% is atheist, and 9.1% follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question.

[23] Smolensk Oblast has a diverse economy, and exports large amounts of ammonium nitrate, fertilizers, wheat, and wood.