On Wednesday, Boris Gryzlov, Chairman of the United Russia Party's Supreme Council, will meet with the party's leader, Vladimir Putin, a source at United Russia told Izvestia. One of the meeting's key issues is preparations for the Popular Front primaries, which will serve as the basis for the pre-election list of the United Russia Party's members. The talk could lead to another extension in the deadline to submit applications, said the source.
Originally, United Russia leaders had planned a July 1 deadline for application submission. However, over 4,500 applications were received by the Front's Coordinating Council by that date. On July 5, party leaders announced that there were still too many candidates willing to be included into United Russia's pre-election list. Finally, it was decided to extend the deadline until July 12.
Still, this extension was not enough. According to the source, the deadline might be extended until July 20, following Gryzlov's meeting with Vladimir Putin. The primaries will start on July 21.
"It may well be that we extend the deadline," confirms the Popular Front's deputy head of Front's headquarters, Mikhail Babich. "At this point we are checking the documents of the applicants who have already submitted. This procedure can be conducted simultaneously with the reception of new applications."
A source at United Russia's administration said that the extension of the deadline can be explained by an insufficient number of new people who want to participate in the primaries. All the more so that the creation of the Popular Front was expected to be a "renovation of the party." "Obviously, party leaders are waiting for the right people to come," believes the source. Party officials see another reason for extending the deadline. "We have a great number of applicants," explains Mikhail Babich. "All those who want to apply should have the time to do so." Regional leaders also say that the number of those willing to take part in the primaries is increasing. "As of the end of the previous week, there are almost 600 applications in Siberia alone. I believe that this figure has grown and the number of applications will continue to grow," says head of United Russia's Siberian Interregional Coordination Council, Sergei Zheleznyak.
Mikhail Rubin
