United Russia
The All-Russian Political Party "United Russia" (Russian: Всероссийская политическая партия «Единая Россия», romanized: Vserossiyskaya politicheskaya partiya "Yedinaya Rossiya", pronounced [(j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə]) is the ruling political party of Russia. As the largest party in the Russian Federation,[21] it holds 325 (or 72.22%) of the 450 seats in the State Duma as of 2022, having constituted the majority in the chamber since 2007.
United Russia Единая Россия
1 December 2001
39th Building, Kutuzovsky Prospekt, Moscow, Russia. 121170[2]
2,073,772[4]
The party was formed on 1 December 2001 through a merger of Unity, Fatherland – All Russia, and the Our Home – Russia.[22] Following the 2003 and 2011 election results,[23] United Russia held a parliamentary majority in the State Duma and a constitutional majority in 2007, 2016, and 2021. In the Duma elections of 2011, for the first time, the United Russia electoral list was formed based on the results of the preliminary (primary) elections held jointly with the All-Russia People's Front.[24] According to the decisions of the XII Congress of United Russia, adopted on 24 September 2011, in the Duma elections, the party's pre-election list was headed by the President of the Russian Federation at the time, Dmitry Medvedev,[25][26] and in the 2012 elections, Vladimir Putin became the presidential candidate.[27] 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.[28]
United Russia supports the policies of the incumbent President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, who 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.[29] United Russia's votes peaked in the 2007 Russian legislative election with 64.3% of the vote, while in recent years, it has seen its popularity decline.[30] The party's ideology is inconsistent and embraces specific officials[31] that support Putin.[32] Although in 2009 it proclaimed Russian conservatism as its official ideology,[5][33] it appeals mainly to pro-Putin and non-ideological voters[34][35] and is often classified by political scientists as a "big-tent party"[36][37][38][39] or as a "party of power" rather than an organization that is primarily based upon a political ideology.[40][41][42][43][44][45]
Participation in elections
Elections to the State Duma
United Russia has participated in all elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation since 2003 (since 1999 through its predecessors: Fatherland – All Russia and Unity). At the same time, the party actively used the "locomotive" political strategy:[92] including in its party lists well-known persons who were not going to become deputies or refused mandates immediately after the election, while less well-known party members worked in the State Duma instead of them. In 2003, 37 elected candidates from United Russia refused deputy mandates; in 2007 - 116 candidates; in 2011 - 99 candidates.[92] Among the participants of United Russia's "locomotive" were the President of the Russian Federation (2007, 2011), the heads of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, ministers of the Russian Government, and mayors of cities.[92]
Representation in the leadership of the State Duma
Since 2003, the Chairman of the State Duma has been a deputy from the United Russia faction - Boris Gryzlov (2003-2011), Sergey Naryshkin (2011-2016) and Vyacheslav Volodin (since 2016).
First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma from the party - Oleg Morozov (2005-2011), Alexander Zhukov (since 21 December 2011).
Deputy Chairmen of the State Duma from the party - Olga Timofeeva (since 9 October 2017), Sergey Neverov (since 4 December 2011), Pyotr Tolstoy (since 5 October 2016), Irina Yarovaya (since 5 October 2016).
The head of the United Russia faction in the State Duma from the party - Boris Gryzlov (2003-2011), Andrey Vorobyov (2011-2012), Vladimir Vasilyev (2012–2017), Sergey Neverov (since 9 October 2017).
Opinions about the party, criticism, accusations, scandals
Rating polls
According to a poll by the Levada Center at the beginning of 2021, only 27% of Russians would vote for United Russia if elections to the State Duma were held in the near future. This is the lowest support rating for the party among all published polls since mid-2016. In August 2020, 31% of respondents were ready to vote for the party.[401][402]
Sanctions
On 16 December 2022, due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, United Russia was included in the EU sanctions list. According to the European Union, the party supported Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine and the annexation of Ukrainian territories; thus, the party is responsible for supporting actions that undermine or threaten Ukraine's territorial integrity and independence.[513][514]
All party assets in the European Union will be frozen, and any member of these parties will be banned from entering the EU.[513]
On 24 February 2023, United Russia was included in the sanctions list of Canada.[515]