“United Russia” does not need campaigning in new regions “in the usual sense”

Representatives of United Russia have no doubts that they will win elections in new regions, moreover, they are convinced that they do not even need campaigning “in the usual sense” for this. “If we talk about the approaches of the campaign in general, United Russia does not need such an election campaign in the usual sense, because no one needs to tell anything about our party in the new regions,” said the deputy secretary of the General Council of United Russia, senator Daria Lantratova at the EISI round table “Political Integration of New Regions: Preparation for Elections 2023”.

The head of the Central Executive Committee of the party, Alexander Sidyakin, admitted that “this has a large share of the personal presidential rating.” Although Vladimir Putin is not a member of the ruling party, he is associated with it in the new regions, United Russia believes. Active campaigning, in their opinion, is being replaced by “real deeds” that the Russian government is doing on the ground. Sidyakin stressed that people in the new regions understand that it is the United Russia faction in the State Duma that is “fighting for the money” that is allocated for the development of the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.

And the local party is not associated with the process of political struggle, says Lantratova: “We are known and associated not so much with the process of political struggle, but with real help. With a political party that is always there, it helps with real actions. Which you can count on. It’s a campaign marker.” Sidyakin noted that more than 100,000 people have joined the party in the new regions.

United Russia’s expectations are confirmed by the electoral ratings of the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM). As Mikhail Mamonov, head of the VTsIOM’s political analysis practice, said at the round table, United Russia remains the “dominant leader” there. In the DPR, 69% are ready to vote for the ruling party, in the LPR – 73%, in the Zaporozhye region – 80%, in the Kherson region – 68%. Second place in the new territories is occupied by the Liberal Democratic Party. The exception is the Kherson region – the Communist Party is a little more popular there.

“United Russia for voters in Russia, including new territories, is perceived as a continuation of the state,” Alexei Makarkin, first vice president of the Center for Political Technologies, told Vedomosti. “Additionally strengthening the scale of the campaign will mean making the population angry. These are significant risks, in which this political force does not see the point,” he says.

According to the expert, the Liberal Democratic Party takes second place thanks to the memory of its late leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who was also known in Ukraine. Political scientist Alexander Nemtsev pointed out that the LDPR party in Ukraine, unlike the communists, was not represented. “The voters of the new territories believe that the communists are the same everywhere – and there it was an ineffective opposition, and the LDPR is Zhirinovsky’s party, which can speak brightly, clearly and to the point,” he explained.

Elections in the LPR, DPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions will be held on September 8-10 on a single voting day. They will elect regional parliaments and heads of republics.