2014 Bashkir presidential election

Radiy Khabirov was initially considered as a likely rival for Rustem Khamitov in the Bashkortostan United Russia presidential primaries, whose candidacy could suit both the federal authorities and the republican political elite in the person of the former President Murtaza Rakhimov.[3][14][15]

On 11 June 2014 in Ufa, the party delegates identified three candidates at the for the subsequent nomination for the presidency by the United Russia. Acting president Khamitov received 129 votes, State Duma deputy Rafael Mardanshin 41 votes, President of the Bar Chamber Bashkortostan Bulat Yumadilov 39 votes.[16]

On 21 June 2014, at a conference of the regional branch of United Russia, Khamitov was approved as a candidate from the party with 209 delegate vote while three votes were for Rafael Mardanshin, and two participants for Bulat Yumadilov.[17]

• 
  Rafael Mardanshin, member of the State Duma (2011–present)
• 
  Bulat Yumadilov, President of the Bar Chamber Bashkortostan

Former Prime Minister of Bashkortostan Rail Sarbaev was nominated by the Civic Platform on 25 June 2014.[18] In order to be nominated, Sarbaev was obliged to disavow his United Russia membership while the A Just Russia was unable support him.[19][20] According to political scientists, Sarbaev was the only one of ten candidates who could be a well competitor with Khamitov.[21] Most experts believed that the former president Rakhimov would endorse Sarbaev.[19] According to political scientist Konstantin Kalachev, Sarbaev had good chances of success, and the election would become more interesting and more democratic, telling that “the inhabitants of Bashkiria have missed competitive elections, and the nomination of a candidate of such caliber and with such powerful support radically changes the situation.”[22]

On 9 July 2014, the day when the procedure for nominating candidates from parties for presidency was set to end, Sarbaev was removed at the party congress in the Moscow Oblast by the Civic Platform that nominated him with the saying “in connection with the commission of acts that contradict the interests of the party and inflict her damage.” The head of the Republican Branch of the Civic Platform Aleksey Skrynditsa, claimed that Sarbaev had not known about the decision of the congress and did not participate in it.[23] According to experts, after Sarbayev's nomination, dubious political strategists began to work actively in the region, and custom-made publications appeared in the federal media. Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Bashkortostan Khaidar Valeev support decision in Sarbaev's removal from the race.[24] According to the Sarbaev, he had already managed to garner 454 signatures (out of the required 457) of municipal deputies for registration.[25] The Democratic Party of Russia Chairman Andrei Bogdanov, explained this decision of his former party members by their unwillingness to quarrel with the local authorities. Irina Tverdova, Sarbaev's legal commissioner, said that if sufficient evidence was collected, Sarbaev's headquarters intended to sue the Civic Platform and through it recognize the party's decision as illegal.[26] On 16 July, Sarbaev filed a lawsuit against Civic Platform with the Presnensky Court of Moscow and the Supreme Court of Bashkortostan.[27]

On 23 June 2014, the participants of the conference of the Bashkir Republican Branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) by open vote, out of four proposed candidates, voted for two contenders of whom were Second Secretary of the Bashkir Republican Branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Yunir Kutluguzhin and First Secretary of the Iglinsky District Committee of the CPRF Khasan Idiatullin. After that, secret voting took place, during which Kutluguzhin was chosen to be nominee from the CPRF, after receiving 57 delegates.[28]

• Khasan Idiatullin – First Secretary of the Iglinsky District Committee of the CPRF.

The Bashkortostan Regional Branch of the Patriots of Russia nominated head of the staff of the Public Chamber of Bashkiria Ildar Bikbaev on 22 June 2014 as a presidential candidate.[29]

On 18 July 2014, Bikbaev was the first nominee to pass the municipal filter and submitted to the CEC of Bashkortostan with the signatures of 479 deputies in his support.[30]