VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
“At one of our earlier meetings, we said that at least 150 unaffiliated candidates nominated by the Popular Front would be put on the United Russia ticket. In assessing this year’s primaries’ results, I wish we had set that upper limit even higher, because there proved to be so many truly interesting people among those independent and non-party candidates. Our election ticket will be finalised at a United Russia congress in late September, but we will be posting this list for public discussion one month in advance. It’s important that voters be in a position to make an informed decision when the election takes place in December”.
“We have been able to open up new possibilities for Russian civil society to form a national agenda, and I consider this to be extremely important. <…> The number of candidates running in this year’s primaries is three times higher than in 2007. More than 60% of these candidates ran independently or as nominees of public organisations. Some 220,000 electors were present to assess them and their programmes. Half of the electors represent public organizations”.
“The Popular Front, was established for the exact purpose of uniting people of different faiths and ethnicities so as to be able to identify the problems that are facing us and come up with the best ways to address them in an open and honest discussion. The name itself – the Russian Popular Front – emphasises the idea that every man or woman of any religious or ethnic background should realise that he or she is part of a single multi-ethnic Russian nation, is a citizen of Russia, and should be proud of it.”
“We are against people being dragooned into the Front and against working in accordance with bureaucratic, “command” rules, against artificial buildup of party ranks and so-called participation. It can merely discredit the idea. The people themselves must be willing and their will should be expressed at the meetings of work collectives and in residential communities.”
“Front must promote broader public support for decision-making at the federal, regional and municipal levels. The open discussion of major national and regional issues must become the norm for this national club, our front.”
“Almost 150 public organisations officially expressed their wish to take part in the Russian Popular Front. And I’m pleased by that because it means that it really is possible to achieve the goals that I set in making this proposal. Using the structure of United Russia, we would like to bring new people out of the woodwork who have fresh ideas that are relevant to today’s Russia and our near future.”
“It [the idea of establishing the Russian Popular Front] enables all people who are not burdened by ideological considerations and are not bound by any administrative, bureaucratic framework to implement at least part of their own goals and ideas. At any rate, this provides them with such an opportunity.”
“We are establishing the Russian Popular Front in order to draw together constructive ideas, so that civil society, including youth, women’s and veterans’ organisations, the business community, trade unions and associations, has an additional opportunity to become directly involved in charting highly important state decisions.”
“It is our opinion that it is essential to Russia’s development to preserve civil and inter-ethnic peace, accord, mutual respect and solidarity between representatives of various ethnic groups, religions, generations and representatives of various professional categories.”
“We need to rapidly develop and modernise production units, we need to switch over to an innovative economy and resolve social issues. <…> And, of course, the Russian Popular Front is open to all political forces that share such approaches.”
