In the near future the President of Russia Vladimir Putin will meet with representatives of “United Russia”, told two people in the party leadership. According to them, the event will be held in early September, less than two weeks before the elections of the state Duma (scheduled for September 18). “Such a meeting is prepared,” confirmed the press Secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov, refused to name the exact date of the event. The participants of the meeting and specific issues are being worked out, said the representative of “United Russia”.
Formally, the event will focus on the monitoring of the four laws, which the party began after President Vladimir Putin met with the leaders of Duma factions in mid-July, says United Russia. Then the head of the United Russia faction Vladimir Vasilyev said that the party, together with the experts want to see how they work and how to correct the laws passed by the Duma in the spring session. Then Vasilyev asked the President to take party members once they are ready to submit the report. “Let’s try, why not,” Putin said.
Later, the party has formed four groups — monitoring laws on the involvement of unused agricultural land, about trade, about the creation of woodland belts around large cities and on the regulation of logging. In the meeting with the President can participate as group leaders — Nikolai Pankov, Irina Yarovaya, Vladimir Gutenev, and Nikolay Nikolaev, said the source close to the leadership of the party. Can be invited to initiate a meeting and Vasiliev, as well as the Secretary of the General Council of the party Sergei Neverov. All these people included in the electoral lists of the party.
The President of their meeting demonstrates the support of “United Russia”, it shows that you chose this party, says the source close to the Kremlin. Peskov on a question , whether the meeting is a gesture of support from Putin on the eve of elections, he replied: “a regular dialogue”.
The head of one of the monitoring groups involved with the problems of deforestation, Nikolai Nikolaev also says that the work groups not connected with the election campaign. “These processes will not stop after the 18th number. We have established systematic work, and it comes in spite of pre — election processes,” he said.
This year Putin had publicly supported the “United Russia”, although in the past few years, almost nothing was said about the party. In April, he called the party of the stabilizing element of the political system, and then went to the headquarters of United Russia, to communicate with participants of preliminary voting. During these primaries, the party members used the initials of Putin in the campaign – they hung posters with the slogan “it is Important to Choose Correctly” which in a column formed of letters of the GDP. Later, the President arrived at the Congress of “United Russia” and called it “the assemblage point of the country.”
This year, a law was passed prohibiting the use in the campaign image of a person who is not a candidate. Then United Russia said that they themselves deprived themselves of the opportunity to score points using the image of Putin as it was in past years. However, in practice campaign of the party in power still being built in Association with the first person.
In August, during the official campaign party members pasted across the country banners with quotations of the President. The voice of Putin, also sounds in campaign commercials. In addition, according to the order of the Moscow branch of “United Russia” employees of one of the call centres ring up Muscovites and ask them questions that shape the relationship between Putin and the party. In particular, they ask whether respondents agree with the need to maintain “difficult time,” President and vote for “United Russia”.
By and large Putin is the only thing that party can offer the voters, other words do not enjoy the support of the voter, says the Professor at the European University in Saint-Petersburg Grigory Votes. “Another thing is that to Putin ahead of the presidential election in 2018 is unlikely I would very much like to be associated with the party, but apparently convinced him that the situation requires his involvement, and later he will be able to distance themselves from it,” — emphasizes the expert.
The problem is not that the parties have nothing to offer voters, it would be foolish not to take advantage of Putin as the most powerful argument, argues the political scientist Yevgeny Minchenko. “And Putin conjunction with the “United Russia” is not a problem, since in parallel the other party is also trying his name to use and create with him a bunch of” — sums up the expert.
