The United Russia (UR) party continues consolidating the drive for supporters. Earlier, it invited top-ranking politicians, as well as sports and show business celebrities to join its ranks whereas now they are offered the opportunity to support it. UR officials told NG that talks are underway to win over a large group of VIPs. Analysts believe that the institute of supporters may be transformed into some other organization, perhaps, a new modernization party to prop up United Russia that is losing its popularity.
The party has of late paid particular attention to its supporters. At its congress in 2008 United Russia established a probationary period for those interested in joining the party. During this probation they must work as party supporters. After Prime Minister Vladimir Putin agreed to head United Russia, crowds rushed to demonstrate solidarity with him. The number of party members instantly exceeded two million. However, the economic crisis set everything right before too long. The number of those who wanted to join United Russia rapidly diminished because the public blamed the economic crisis on the ruling party. The number of votes received by United Russia at regional elections instantly dropped. However, people did not consider United Russia party leader Putin responsible for their troubles, and the number of his supporters remained high.
This fact prompted party leaders to go after more supporters. Last May they decided to establish agencies of the Council of Supporters in all Russian regions, that is, backup offices of regional party organizations. It was logical to take another step -- enroll VIPs into the ranks of its supporters. NG has already reported that Viktor Kiryanov, head of the Traffic Police, joined the Council of Supporters last Friday.
Head of the Central Council of Supporters, Franz Klintsevich, told NG that it was enrolling many VIPs. He said the council was talking to many representatives of the Russian elite and show business celebrities but refrained from mentioning names. He said it would be inappropriate to do this until the final decision is made. In an interview with NG, Sergei Neverov, first deputy secretary of the presidium of the UR General Council on regional policy and party development also confirmed the party's intention to win the support of VIPs and celebrities.
Interestingly, earlier United Russia preferred to invite them to join the party without any auxiliary organization of supporters. Some even received honourary posts without waiting for membership. Party officials explain this tactical change by the forthcoming federal elections. First, United Russia supporters should attract voters who mistrust the party but are willing to vote for Putin. Second, they can be used for supporting the presidential candidate. In other words, the party may simply upgrade the experience of its former election campaigns. Suffice it to recall that the movement "For Putin" played a major role in the Duma election campaign in 2007.
Alexei Makarkin, deputy general director of the Centre for Political Technology, is convinced that the party will not form a personified movement at the forthcoming elections. Establishing another pro-Putin movement will mean setting him against President Dmitry Medvedev, while establishing the "For Modernisation" movement will set Medvedev against Putin. Therefore, the party decided to set up the Council of United Russia Supporters.
Rostislav Turovsky, a political science professor at Lomonosov Moscow State University, observed that United Russia has reached its ceiling in recruiting new members: "The potential for attracting more people into its ranks is limited. This 'institute of supporters' offers a compromise for the creative elite who are not going to join the party but who are willing to take part in its projects. This is a bad approach for the party. It shows that it is not developing."
Turovsky noted that this new group of supporters could pursue one more major goal: "Probably, it will be necessary to set up a new party, which would support the ideas of modernization rather than simply serve as an instrument for conducting an election campaign. A new party could be established for the same reason – United Russia has reached its ceiling and is losing popularity. In this context, these supporters may serve it a good service."
The professor mentioned that an opportunity to form a new party already exists but that it could be renounced under certain political circumstances.
Gleb Pavlovsky, the president of the Foundation for Effective Politics (FEP), observed that United Russia exists in a completely new political reality and will have to prove again that it is useful. He said the party is at a crossroads. It may choose to place its bets on its traditional electorate – public sector employees and pensioners but in this case it will act against the progressive ideas of modernization. Moreover, the support of this electorate may not be enough to form the constitutional majority in the next Duma. However, it can choose a different road – to change the format of the former coalition and include the new forces that are irritated by the party's old image and the absence of change in its leadership. Pavlovsky believes that to conform to the new reality, United Russia could involve part of its supporters in discussion clubs. Pavlovsky thinks that it should reassess the political situation that has changed dramatically even compared with the past year. He believes that United Russia should also draft a new strategy: "Having made mistakes, the party may fall victim to the processes in the outside world that it fails to understand."
By Elina Bilevskaya
