United Russia
Based on lasting values of state and human dignity, we rely on the past and strive for the future.

Founded: December 1, 2001 from a union of the Unity and Fatherland-All Russia organizations
Leadership: Boris Gryzlov, Sergei Shoigu, Yury Luzhkov, Mintimer Shaimiyev
Membership: 931,000 members in all 89 regions of the Russian Federation.
Media: StolitsaYedinoy Rossii

Address: 3a Banny Pereulok
                Moscow 129110
Telephone: Press office +7 (095) 788 44 93
Email: press@edinros.ru, info@edinros.ru
Website: http://www.edinros.ru

Major Party Figures
Vladimir Putin, head of the party ticket in December Duma elections, future Chairman and Prime Minister
Boris Gryzlov, Chairman of the Supreme Council, Speaker of the State Duma
Sergei Shoigu, EMERCOM minister
Yury Luzhkov, Mayor of Moscow
Valery Bogomolov, Secretary of the General Council
Yury Volkov, Chairman of the Central Executive Committee

Party List for 2007 Duma Elections

List of Party Duma Deputies

Party History

In April 2001, the Unity Party, led by Emergecies Minister, Sergei Shoigu, and the Fatherland Party, led by Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, merged into a single political party. A Coordinating Council was set up to map out a strategy prior to the first collective congress of the two political forces, to work out the strategy and tactics of action in society and in the State Duma. The Coordinating Council was headed by leader of the Fatherland movement and mayor of Moscow Yury Luzhkov.

On July 11, 2001, the CC met and discussed the specifics of creating a new political party -- the Unity and Fatherland Union. The rules, date of the congress and structure of the union were approved at the meeting.

The Union of Unity and Fatherland was founded on July 12, 2001 in the Oktyabrsky Hall of the House of Unions. Yuri Luzhkov and Sergei Shoigu became its co-chairmen. In his speech at the congress, Yury Luzhkov noted that the union support the president in reviving Russia as a united, prosperous and strong state.

On October 13, 2001, the third Congress of the Fatherland socio-political movement was held at the House of Unions in Moscow, at which the movement was transformed into a party for its further merger with Sergei Shoigu's Unity party.

On October 27, 2001, the Third Congress of the Unity party was held in Moscow. The main aim of the congress was to get ready for the merger of the Unity party, the Fatherland and All Russia movements into one single political party.

On December 1, 2001, the Unity And Fatherland All-Russia Party (United Russia) held its founding congress.

On January 24, 2002, United Russia held its General Council meeting which was presided over by chairman of the General Council Alexander Bespalov.

The question of cooperation between the Duma factions Yedinstvo (Unity), OVR (Fatherland - All Russia) and the Regions of Russia group was examined, and it was decided to hold, on February 8, the second stage of the 3rd congress of Unity, the congress of Fatherland and an enlarged meeting of the Executive Committee of All Russia (to take decisions on the dissolution of all three organisations in line with their own decision).

On February 8, 2002 the Unity party and the All Russia movement which were included in the United Russia party, announced the dissolution in line with their own decision.

At the second stage of the 3rd congress on February 9, 2002, the Fatherland all-Russian political public organisation ceased to exist.

These decisions were taken in connection with the creation of the new United Russia party.

In parliamentary elections in 2003, United Russia gained 37 percent of the vote and added a slate of single-mandate deputies to obtain a large representation in the Fourth Duma.

Four years later, with Putin at the top of United Russia's ticket, the party swept more than 60 percent of the parliamentary vote, gaining a constitutional super-majority and control of Russia's lower house of parliament. 

Party Structure

Leadership of the movement is vested in the party chairman, who is elected at party congress to a four-year term. For the first eight years of United Russia's existence, this spot was held by Boris Gryzlov. However, in April 2008, then-President Vladimir Putin was unanimously elected to take over the position after the election of his successor, Dmitry Medvedev.

The High Council, lead by the party chairman, defines the strategy for the development of the party.

The General Council has 152 members, and formulates the party platform. They meet in between party congresses and issue statements on important social or political questions. The presidium of the General Council is led by a secretary, consists of 23 members, and leads the political activity of the party. They take responsibility for running election campaigns every four years and conducting public outreach between cycles.

United Russia runs local and regional offices in all of Russia's regions.

Party Objectives and Program

Objectives
The party’s strategic goal is "to raise people’s living standards to European standards."

United Russia undertakes the task to become a ruling party capable of ensuring support for the president’s initiatives, including that in crisis situations.

The party’s second congress (held on March 29, 2003) adopted a Manifesto which stated that United Russia had been set up to ensure “nationwide progress”. Being a party of not just the parliamentary, but also of the nationwide majority, it unites the country’s responsible political forces.

Program

According to the statement adopted at the founding congress on December 1, 2001, the priorities of the party are:
- strong presidential power as a guarantee of political stability and firmness of the constitutional system;
- implementation of administrative reform, improvement of country's management system and streamlining of the functions of the bodies of power;
- to raise the citizens' confidence in the state, to formate a transparent and comprehensive state policy;
- implementation of the principle of equal rights, liberties and opportunities for different social groups, nationalities and confessions;
- molding of efficient mechanisms for the protection of rights and liberties;
- to assist the clear-cut delimitation of economic, social and tax powers of the Centre and the regions;
- all-round development of local self-administration, creation of its stable and independent financial basis - with intensification of the leaders' responsibility for the situation in the localities;
- improving the country's defence potential, formation of a professional army;
- improvement of the activity of law-enforcement bodies;
- consistent implementation of the judicial reform;
- improvement of the country's business climate, structural reforms, development of the financial market;
- uniform competition rules between participants of economic life;
- effective system of social guarantees, re-distribution of benefits in favour of those who really need them, selective social assistance, formation of a unified system of social insurance and health protection;
- social partnership;
- formation and support of international policy aimed at raising Russia's role in the world.

Related articles:
Eugene Ivanov, Putin and United Russia, Johnson's Russia List (February 8, 2006)
Dmitry Babich,Is the Party Over for United Russia?, Russia Profile (July 26, 2005)
Dmitry Babich, Will United Russia Fly?, Russia Profile (June 2005)

last updated April 16, 2008