Dmitry Medvedev handed out pre-election parting words to the governors

Chairman of the “United Russia” (ER) Dmitry Medvedev held a video meeting on Thursday with the heads of the regions, which in September will take part in the gubernatorial elections or will head the lists of the United Russia in the legislative assembly elections. Speaking about the special significance of the upcoming elections as a prologue to the 2024 presidential campaign, Mr. Medvedev called on the party members to achieve a “clean” victory in a “fair struggle.” The heads of the regions, in turn, reported on the pre-election successes and the correction of certain shortcomings.

Opening the meeting, which took place via videoconference, Dmitry Medvedev stated that this year the majority of senior officials, “as, indeed, in previous years”, are going to the elections from United Russia. “Nomination from the ruling party is both a great opportunity, but also a huge responsibility,” he warned. And at the same time, he reminded the candidates that their election programs are “a semantic continuation of the main program document” of the party – the “people’s program”, with which United Russia won the Duma elections in 2021. In preparing the programs, according to preliminary estimates, 8.6 thousand proposals were analyzed, collected for 65 thousand meetings with citizens. “Such interested communication is the most important feedback mechanism with voters,” the EP chairman emphasized, advising to conduct such a conversation with the people “always, and not just before elections.”

Since last year, the EP program has become “countable”: an objective assessment of its implementation is provided by an indicator based on more than 1 thousand indicators, Mr. Medvedev continued: “In 2022, more than 90% of the annual plan was achieved, in the first half of the current year it was completed by 53%, that is, the dynamics are generally normal.” He urged the regional offices to follow the “principle of accountability” when developing their programs and coordinate them with the executive authorities.

Governors should step up their efforts to inform Russians about the progress of the program, the party member added: “People should see positive results. Thus, we strengthen the credibility of the party. There is no need to be modest here, here we present the result.

Not forgetting to mention the help to the front, the members of the NWO and their families, Dmitry Medvedev moved on to the elections. The presidential campaign will take place in 2024, and all the results of the EP in 2023 are “a contribution to the common work,” he explained: “The supporters that we hope to rally around us in the current elections will also be the basis for us to work during the main campaign in 2024. It will be necessary to pay close attention to interaction with voters, to increase the prestige of the party in their eyes – this is an urgent and difficult task. In a fair fight, our opponents will not leave any chances to outperform the game – this is relevant in any conditions, and in the current ones too.” At the same time, a “clear victory” should be won “with high confidence of citizens in the course of normal competition.”

The governors who spoke next told the leader of the United Russia about the successes already achieved and the tasks for the near future. Thus, the head of Kuzbass, Sergei Tsivilev, complained that the outflow of the population continues in the region, and promised to change this trend in the next five years by increasing labor productivity, wages and living standards. Acting Governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Mikhail Kotyukov focused on vocational education: “We start working from school – our largest enterprises form specialized classes.” His Ivanovo colleague Stanislav Voskresensky reported on eliminating queues in preschool institutions, repairing schools and supporting gifted children, the head of the Vladimir region, Alexander Avdeev, on the resettlement of emergency housing and the construction of a new one, Irkutsk governor Igor Kobzev, on supporting doctors and improving the quality of medical services, and the head of the Samara region region Dmitry Azarov – on the repair of houses of culture and the creation of modal libraries.

After listening to the governors, Dmitry Medvedev reminded them that socio-economic tasks need to be addressed, despite the current situation: “You and I are well aware that success on the ground, in the regions, also forms success at the front. We need victories at the front and we need successes in the rear. This is what I would like to tell you before I wish you all a successful performance in the elections, the performance of our party with you.

After that, he invited other participants of the meeting to share their thoughts.

“Don’t be shy, please,” Mr. Medvedev insisted. But the audience, among whom were, in particular, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, Secretary of the United Russia General Council Andrei Turchak and representatives of a number of ministries, did not respond to the call.

“Silence. Okay, I hope that everyone will analyze the information that you received today, because our country is large, and the set of problems is the same everywhere,” the chairman concluded.

Andrew Ashes