MOSCOW, 6 February. “United Russia” came into Saturday in a parliamentary election campaign: held in Moscow Congress of the United Russia approved the regulation on the conduct of primary elections for the selection of candidates for elections (primaries) and launched the formation of the election program. The party has also upgraded its governing bodies; it has made a number of important statements, in General, aimed at improving the image of United Russia.
Against bribery and cronyism
The first stage of its Congress of “United Russia” decided to hold until the official start of the campaign (the start will be given by presidential decree in the period from 30 may to 19 June). The key issue would be the approval of the project on the primaries, which took the past few months.
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Congress of “United Russia” approved the procedure for holding of party primaries
The essence of the primaries is that everyone is a member of “United Russia” or non-partisan – goes into an open rating vote, during which assessment they will be able to give ordinary voters. The primaries, which will be held across the country in one day, may 22, will be preceded by the debates and campaign events, participation in which will become mandatory for all.
The preliminary vote, the United Russia paid special attention, believing that with his help, the party will be able to identify opinion leaders and strong candidates from “United Russia” will take part in the elections.
“Greenhouse candidates we don’t need. Only those who would receive real support from people who will participate in elections of deputies of the State Duma. Another way to get to the list of “United Russia” simply no”, – said the Chairman of United Russia, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, speaking before the delegates of the Congress. The Prime Minister stressed that the elections “there were no contractual lists, pushing comfortable people will not.” “Game “giveaway” we don’t need,” said the leader of the party.
At the Congress on Saturday, the United Russia has clearly identified a number of areas that will obviously be key in determining the future image of the party.
So, the refrain sounded at the Congress the idea of abandoning cronyism and “nepotism” policy. This topic was raised by Deputy Valery Trapeznikov, who encouraged “to adopt the regulation – down with political dynasty from the party “United Russia”.
His premise was supported by the leadership of the party. Dmitry Medvedev said that in the formation of electoral lists of exceptions should not be made even for loved ones. “The family dynasty is good, when it comes to business or creative professions”, – he explained.
“In our opinion, and personally I support it, it is unacceptable that today in politics inherited,” said for its part, the Secretary of the General Council of United Russia, Deputy speaker of the state Duma Sergey Neverov. However, he did not support the proposal for the regulation of this issue at the level of normative acts, explaining that it is “more moral and ethical standards”.
Another plot, on which emphasis was placed, was the inability to win primaries in some unofficial manner, for example by bribing voters. This issue was raised with the Congress, the Secretary of the office party from Yaroslavl Ilya Osipov. “We as a party can afford it, otherwise the candidate does not only discredit itself discredit the party”, – underlined he.
Not by chance in the draft provision appears, according to which in case of the established fact of bribery of party primaries or representatives of the voters, he may be excluded from the list of participants of preliminary voting.
The program of the party: without the “Golden mountain”
The moral aspect, as hinted to Medvedev, will be another important factor in the preparation of the election programme of the party, about the early formation of which was announced by the leader of United Russia members at the Congress.
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He urged party members “to be given the hot topic at the mercy of opponents”, “to openly and honestly explain to the people any, the most difficult decisions and points of view, to tell how and why they adopted and how”. And criticizing the “left” and “right-wing” populism and excessive liberalism accordingly, the Prime Minister at the same time urged not to promise the voters “mountains of gold”, that party will not be able to perform. “We are a responsible political force, especially in tight budget,” he said.
As priorities he named the solution of social issues, such as support for low-income families, to overcome the problem of shortage of medicines, care for children in difficult life situation. “The main tasks of the state – any state and ours is to help and protect. The task of the party is to control that it was really so”, – said Medvedev, adding that “we (United Russia) can do this”.
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Simultaneously with the course for social assistance to individual categories of citizens, the Prime Minister as a priority said the support of businesses (by introducing a number of tax benefits) and the self-employed.
We can assume that all these proposals one way or another will be reflected in the electoral program with which the party will go on elections to Duma.
Formally, the collection of proposals in the program began even before the first day of the Congress party members in the format of sectional meetings, communicated with members of the government of the Russian Federation. On Saturday United Russia had established a working group on the programme, headed by Medvedev personally. Its members included the state Duma deputies, political scientists, representatives of scientific circles. The program, according to Medvedev, to be developed “in the shortest possible time”, while “carefully consider the content”.
Rotation – without the “official image”
Another solution, eventually playing on the image of the party, was a planned rotation, which has undergone the Higher and General councils of the party and the Central auditing Commission, deprived now of the definition of “audit”.
In total, the rotation has been about a third of the composition of the governing bodies of the party.
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“United Russia” held a rotation of Higher and General party councils
In particular, the High Council had been withdrawn by the Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation Anton Siluanov, Minister of education and science Dmitry Livanov. “As for these Ministers, we have always had issues and to the economic block, and to the Ministry of education. The decision that was made today is the decision of the peer, it took the Congress,” said Neverov, answering the question about the reasons for their termination.
Also the High Council left a number of former heads of subjects of the Russian Federation, including Vyacheslav Gaizer and Nikolai Denin, who became involved in criminal cases.
However, in the Supreme Council were dobrany 24 new members, among them almost were not professional politicians, but businessmen, TV presenters, representatives of the education sector.
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According to experts, such rotation will allow United Russia to get rid of the image of the “party officials” and to attract new electoral group.
“This is unique to United Russia event, since United Russia is largely associated with the party of bureaucrats and officials. Now, if we look at the list of those who entered the senior Council and General Council, it is largely public figures, activists, representatives of civil society, and this essentially changes the image of the party,” said political analyst Pavel Danilin.
“United Russia” is cleared from the reputation of the party exclusively of the bureaucracy and shows that it is a party of all sections of the population”, – the solidarity political analyst Gleb Kuznetsov.
The main stage
The second phase of the Congress “United Russia” scheduled for June: after the official appointment of the elections the party will need to approve the list of their candidates and independent candidates for elections to the state Duma on September 18 and unfair.
What “baggage” the party will come to this stage, will largely depend on the primaries, which Medvedev called the “basic procedure” to participate not only in elections to the state Duma, but also in the “party life”.
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Congress Of “United Russia”. Text translation
