The article is devoted to the problem of institutionalization of the political elite that still remains a poorly studied subject in Russian elite studies. Despite the fact that the institute of representative power of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation has been functioning for a long time the question of the stability and reproduction of this power group and its main socio-structural characteristics remains. The idea that the process of institutionalization is problematic provided that the context of the recruitment and functioning of the political elite, affecting its social characteristics, changes significantly in the post-soviet period is postulated. It is shown that the institutionalization of the political elite has several dimensions. The paradox of the institutions of power lies in the complementary unity of the three aspects of their existence: democratic, professional meritocratic and societal hierarchical. The article substantiates the significance of the study of the socio-professi