United Russia
In the autumn of 1999, a political bloc called Unity emerged three months before the State Duma elections. Kremlin insiders created this group to counter the Fatherland , All Russia bloc led by Yuri Luzhkov and Yevgeny Primakov. They did not expect much success because President Boris Yeltsin was unpopular and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's ratings were minuscule at that time. Charismatic Minister of Emergency Situations Sergei Shoigu was appointed as the party leader. The new party attempted to mimic OVR's formula of success, placing an emphasis on competence and pragmatism. Tatyana Yumasheva, the daughter of Russia's first president, wrote on her LiveJournal blog that Boris Berezovsky was a founder of United Russia. She stated that history is history and we must not forget those who stood at its origins. In 1999, Prime Minister Putin's support increased to double-digit figures after he sent troops into Chechnya in retaliation for bombings in Moscow and other cities attributed to Chechen terrorists. The war effort was hugely popular and portrayed positively by state-controlled RTR. Contrary to its founders' expectations, Unity's election campaign in the 1999 election was a success with the party receiving 23.3% of the votes. This result placed them within one percentage point of the Communist Party's 24.3%. The popularity of the prime minister proved decisive for Unity's victory. The election results also made clear that Putin was going to win the 2000 presidential election. Yeltsin gave Putin a boost by resigning as president on the 31st of December 1999. After the merger of the parties at the founding congress, leaders like Sergei Shoigu, Yuri Luzhkov, and Mintimer Shaimiev were elected co-chairs of the Supreme Council of the party. Alexander Bespalov became the chairman of the party's general council. On the 20th of November 2002, Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov became chairman of the Supreme Council. On the 31st of January 2003, the party was registered by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. On the 7th of December, the party won the elections, receiving 37.57% of the vote. In December 2001, it became the All-Russian Party "Unity and Fatherland", United Russia.
The party has participated in all elections to the State Duma since 2003. United Russia gained 37.56% votes in the 2003 election, giving it 120 mandates from the list and another 103 mandates in single-mandate districts. This allowed it to form a qualified majority in the State Duma. The voter turnout was 55.75%. In the 2007 parliamentary elections, United Russia received 64.20% of the votes, which allowed it to get 315 seats and secure a constitutional majority. The voter turnout was 63.78%. Vladimir Putin single-handedly headed United Russia's federal list for this election. In the 2011 Duma elections, United Russia received 49.31% of voters according to official data from the Central Election Commission of Russia. The voter turnout was 60.1% of voters. As in 2007, the elections were held only under the proportional system. President Medvedev headed the United Russia electoral list on the 24th of September 2011. In the 2016 elections, United Russia received 54.20% of the votes on the lists, bringing it 140 mandates. The final 343 seats in parliament are the highest indicator of the party in the elections to the State Duma. The turnout in the elections was 47.88%. In the 2021 Duma elections, the party retained its supermajority in the State Duma despite polls indicating historic low levels of support at around 30%. United Russia won 49.82% of the votes on party lists, allowing it to receive 126 seats. The party managed to get another 198 mandates in single-mandate constituencies, making it possible to get 324 seats in parliament and maintain a constitutional majority. The voter turnout was 51.72%. Support for United Russia peaked in the 2007 Russian legislative election with 64.3% of the vote. In recent years, it has seen its popularity decline.
United Russia supports the policies of Putin, who is the incumbent Russian president and served as party leader during the presidency of Dmitry Medvedev. Despite not currently being the official leader or a member of the party, Putin operates as its de facto leader. On the 7th of May 2008, Boris Gryzlov was replaced as party leader by Putin. Vladimir Putin accepted a nomination to become the party's leader but declared that this did not mean he would become a member. Medvedev also refused to become a member. On the 24th of September 2011, President Medvedev headed the United Russia electoral list. At the same congress, the pre-election list of candidates from the party for the December elections to the State Duma was approved. The list included 416 party members and 183 non-party members. About ten thousand participants in the meeting listened to Medvedev's speech. In total, the congress was attended by about 12,000 participants, guests and journalists. Medvedev reacted immediately, saying that applause was proof of Putin's popularity among the people. On the 26th of May 2012, Medvedev was elected chairman of United Russia. On the 22nd of January 2017, Medvedev was re-elected as party chairman. In 2009, the party proclaimed Russian conservatism as its official ideology at the 11th Party Congress in St. Petersburg. Vladislav Surkov, a senior government official, has been one of the key ideologists during Putin's presidency. He introduced the term sovereign democracy in February 2006. Dmitry Medvedev criticized the term later. The party voted against the Council of Europe resolution 1481 regarding crimes of communist governments.
The party's official ideological platform is described by its leaders as centrist, conservative, and Russian conservative. It suggests a statist stance and declared pragmatism. Researchers also singled out in the party Russian integralism, Eurasianism, statism, and Putinism. Political observers primarily classify the party as centrist, while others describe it as centre-right or right-wing. It has also been described as a big tent party, the party in power, or the presidential party. According to the party's 2003 political manifesto, The Path of National Success, the party's goal is to unite responsible political forces. The economy should combine state regulation and market freedoms. The party rejects left-wing and right-wing ideologies in favor of "political centrism" that could unite all sections of society. In April 2005, State Duma Chairman Boris Gryzlov announced that United Russia was choosing a socially conservative policy. Since 2009, when Vladislav Surkov introduced the term sovereign democracy, many party figureheads have used the term. In 2009, the party proclaimed Russian conservatism as its official ideology at the 11th Party Congress in St. Petersburg. On the 21st of November, the program document of the party was adopted stating: "The ideology of the Party is Russian conservatism." In 2015, United Russia changed its ideology to liberal conservatism, which is right-leaning centrism. The change in United Russia's positions was due to the economic crisis in Russia at the time. The charter states the main values of the party include well-being of a person, unity and sovereignty of the country, and leadership and development of Russia. The United Russia party is also ideologically heterogeneous. It has a left, socially conservative wing and a right, liberal-conservative wing. There is also a national-conservative group in the party. They are officially recognized parts of the party as debating clubs.
The structure of the party is made up of regional, local, and primary branches. Regional branches of United Russia have been created in all subjects of the Russian Federation. In Russia, there are 82,631 primary and 2,595 local branches of the party. The vast majority of governors are members of United Russia. In April 2006, Boris Gryzlov announced that 66 out of 88 leaders of Russian regions were already members of the party. Since 2005, the leaders of the large industrial corporations Rot Front, Babaevsky, Mechel, and AvtoVAZ have joined the party. On the 26th of November 2005, the 6th Party Congress was held in Krasnoyarsk which approved a new charter version. According to one of the amendments, in case of failure to comply with decisions of central and regional party bodies, activities of a regional political association may be terminated. In many regions since 2009, the practice of United Russia supporting formally independent candidates has occurred in local elections. Candidates who represent the authorities believe it has become unprofitable to go to the polls under the banner of United Russia because it will deprive them of part of the vote. In Voronezh, the Moscow option was chosen where United Russia does not nominate a candidate for the post of mayor but supports. In June 2013, Member of the Supreme Council of United Russia Sergey Sobyanin went to early re-elections as an independent candidate. United Russia considered his decision right because he would gather representatives of diverse forces. In November 2019, secretary Andrey Turchak said that in upcoming elections to the State Duma in 2021, United Russia would nominate its own candidates and
stop providing support for self-nominated members.
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Common questions
When was United Russia founded and who were its founders?
United Russia emerged as a political bloc in the autumn of 1999 three months before the State Duma elections. Boris Berezovsky is identified by Tatyana Yumasheva as one of the founders, while Kremlin insiders created the group to counter the Fatherland All Russia bloc.
What percentage of votes did United Russia receive in the 2007 Russian legislative election?
United Russia received 64.20% of the votes in the 2007 parliamentary elections according to official data from the Central Election Commission of Russia. This result allowed the party to secure 315 seats and obtain a constitutional majority in the State Duma.
Who serves as the de facto leader of United Russia despite not being an official member?
Vladimir Putin operates as the de facto leader of United Russia even though he declared that accepting the nomination did not mean he would become a member. He headed the federal list for the 2007 election and served as party leader starting on the 7th of May 2008 when Boris Gryzlov was replaced.
When did United Russia change its ideology to liberal conservatism?
In 2015 United Russia changed its ideology to liberal conservatism which is described as right-leaning centrism. The shift occurred due to the economic crisis in Russia at that time after previously proclaiming Russian conservatism as its official ideology in 2009.
How many primary and local branches does United Russia have across Russia?
There are 82,631 primary and 2,595 local branches of United Russia throughout all subjects of the Russian Federation. Regional branches exist in every region with the vast majority of governors being members of the party since April 2006.