Political scientists assessed the main stages and results of the reset of the leading party in Russia
Representatives of the expert political science community at a round table held at the Foundation for the Development of Civil Society (FORGO) discussed the results of the third stage of the 20th congress of United Russia and considered further prospects for the development of the party. At the anniversary congress, the results of the reset program adopted in 2020 were announced.
According to experts, the party was led to a restructuring of the attitude to political life – a drop in the rating after unpopular but important decisions – pension reform, as well as a critical power attitude. In addition, the reset was facilitated by the pandemic, the absence of new and real actors in the party, the decline and loss of influence of regional branches, the need to confirm the leading status in the elections in 2021.
The following experts took part in the discussion of the results of the work done by United Russia on mistakes and the development of new areas of work: Chairman of the Board of the FORGO Konstantin Kostin, General Director of the Agency for Political and Economic Communications Dmitry Orlov, Director of the Center for Current Politics Alexei Chesnakov, President of the Fund Petersburg Politics “Mikhail Vinogradov, Director of the Department of Regional Programs of the EISS Daria Kislitsina.
The party was helped to win the elections and to confirm its long-term position that it overcame several negative factors and again drew attention to the regions, Konstantin Kostin noted. No less important, in his opinion, was the expansion of the practice of party nomination and work under the programs of “social elevators”. Equally important, according to the expert, is the integration of the party's interaction with the country's government and the president.
A similar opinion was voiced by Dmitry Orlov, who believes that the idea of ”joint responsibility” has become one of the main factors in the growth of support among the population. Orlov also noted that social orientation and responsibility have become the new goals of the development of the party in power. United Russia has become a more socially oriented organization. “Rather, its ideology today can be considered socially conservative. Projects like gasification and volunteering strengthen the political opportunities and electoral potential of the party, “the expert emphasized.
United Russia has once again demonstrated that it is the president's party, said Director of the Center for Current Politics Alexei Chesnakov. In his opinion, renewal and openness have become two trends of the party, which it identified as the most important elements of the election campaign.
According to experts, United Russia will not only try to consolidate its success in the next local elections in 2022, but also resolve issues related to overcoming the pandemic. “And the most important thing is to achieve the optimal political form for the political battles of 2024-2026. The elections will be very difficult, ”Konstantin Kostin warned.