United Russia Gets Ready for State Duma Election
President of Russia Vladimir Putin addressed Monday the United Russia party’s 15th congress.
The congress will approve the party’s election campaign programme and present party lists of candidates for the upcoming State Duma election.
The State Duma in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia.
The last State Duma election was held on December 4, 2011 in which the ruling United Russia party won 238 seats in the 450-member house.
The opposition parties – including Communist Party (92), A Just Russia (64), and Liberal Democratic Party (56) – together won 212 seats.
“This congress is an important stage in the election campaign. Today, you will decide on the campaign programme and the list of candidates for the State Duma election,” Putin said.
“This really is a fundamental moment because it lets the voters see who you propose for this election and what they offer.”
Putin said United Russia is doing much to make this election campaign open and legitimate. In May, a preliminary vote was held to select party candidates. This was the first time when such large-scale primaries were held in which more than 10 million people participated.
“This openness is a clear manifestation of United Russia’s commitment to the principles of direct democracy, and the party has obtained its first and very important result for the upcoming campaign in the form of strong new candidates for the State Duma,” Putin said.
Photo courtesy: Kremlin
