When are the presidential elections in Russia? Should we expect early elections? Presidential elections in Russia: years, candidates, results When will the presidential elections take place.

There is very little time left before the presidential elections in Russia in 2018. The activity of the discussion in newspapers, the Internet and on television is increasing every week, causing more and more keen interest among the audience. Everyone is worried about when exactly the elections will take place - March 11 or 18, 2018, the candidates who will take part in the election race and whether the incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin will run.

For many months, the incumbent's team kept the intrigue about the ruling party's candidacy. There were rumors that Putin was preparing a successor for himself. But, time passed, and a worthy candidate did not appear on the political arena of the country.

News #1- Vladimir Putin enters the fight for the presidency!

At a meeting with the workers of the GAZ plant on December 6, 2017, Vladimir Putin officially announced that he would take part in the 2018 elections. The President thanked the employees of the enterprise and all Russians for their support and stressed that the decision to run for another term was dictated solely by the desire of the people to see him in this position.

Speaking about his plans, Vladimir Vladimirovich did not specify whether he would be a candidate from United Russia, or this time he would register as an independent candidate.

Although the veil of mystery is partly opened. There are still many questions left:

1. What will be presidential program further development of the country?
2. By what methods will the head of state try to get a part of the electorate, which is currently radically minded?
3. Will a person worthy of becoming a competitor to Putin appear at the last moment on the political horizon of the country?

What will be the candidates for the presidency of Russia in 2018 will be nominated?

Unlike United Russia, other political forces have already made a preliminary selection of future candidates for the presidency.

Of course, we are not talking about actually registered candidates, because the time has not yet come for this, and not even about the decisions of this or that party, but about public statements by specific citizens and political forces about the presidential elections in Russia in 2018 and candidates.

Vladimir Zhirinovsky

The permanent leader of the LDPR party is running from election to election for the presidency of Russia. Although Vladimir Volfovich heads the liberal party, his political views are extremely far from liberalism. In particular, he calls for the expansion of Russia's borders at the expense of neighboring states, the deportation of migrants, the return of the death penalty, the arrest of the communist leader Zyuganov, and puts forward many other radical ideas.

At their core, Vladimir Volfovich's proposals are just populist slogans, because no one has ever made any real analysis of the impact of the proposed reforms based on Zhirinovsky's ideas, as well as real bills based on his ideas and harsh statements.

And at the same time, his political debates with opponents cause a lot of positive emotions both among voters and his fellow politicians, so the LDPR party has a permanent electorate that allows it to overcome the barrier to enter the State Duma.

But with the presidency, Zhirinovsky is much less lucky. Perhaps it was his repeated defeats that led the members of the Liberal Democratic Party to think about the possibility of participating in the upcoming presidential elections from their political strength of another candidate. They, according to Zhirinovsky himself, may be State Duma deputy Mikhail Degtyarev, who wrote more than one bill promoted by the Liberal Democratic Party. Among them is a bill on the payment of maternity capital for the first child, as well as on the introduction of a monopoly on the production of tobacco and alcohol products, sugar. Alexei Didenko, another State Duma deputy from the LDPR, also co-authored the bills and calls for lowering the voting age to 16. Alexei Didenko, according to Vladimir Zhirinovsky, can also become a presidential candidate Russian Federation.

Grigory Yavlinsky

The leader of the democratic party Yabloko, Grigory Yavlinsky, also wants to take part in the presidential race again. Yavlinsky is primarily an economist, author of many books and economic models reforms that he has been trying to carry out in Russia since the 1990s. Yavlinsky is an opponent of Boris Yeltsin's policy, starting from the Belovezhskaya Conference. It is obvious that the policy of the current President Vladimir Putin is alien to him, because Putin, in fact, is Yeltsin's successor, although he is not pursuing a policy similar to him. Grigory Yavlinsky openly opposed the war in Chechnya and at one time even participated in negotiations with Dudayev.

The main political idea of ​​Yavlinsky is an economically strong Russia with strong ties with states former USSR. Therefore, Yavlinsky sharply condemns Russia's policy towards Ukraine over the past few years.

Alexey Navalny

The disgraced Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in February of this year also announced his desire to become president of Russia. But the court verdict for embezzling money from the Kirovles enterprise will prevent Navalny from realizing his desire. Today, despite the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, Russia will not review the decision of the Russian national courts, since the decision of the European Court contradicts the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

Navalny is known for his sharp criticism of the current government and accusations of committing corruption crimes, as well as participation in the Russian March nationalist action and his sympathies for nationalist movements.

Alina Vitukhnovskaya

Alina Vitukhnovskaya, a member of the Moscow Writers' Union, a public figure and human rights activist, is nominated for the elections from the Republican Alternative, of which she herself is the leader.

In her interview, when asked about the first steps in the presidency, she said that people need to be given happiness and money, and everything else needs to be decided after.

Ksenia Sobchak

Hot news is being intensively discussed in the media - the well-known journalist and TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak announced her desire to take part in the presidential elections in the Russian Federation!

In her video message, Sobchak urged not to boycott the 2018 elections, but to come to the polling stations and show the authorities that the people are against orders and surnames that have not changed for decades.

To run for president is the right of every citizen of the Russian Federation, and to vote "against all" is the right of every voter. In communication with the press, Sobchak notes that he realistically assesses his chances of winning and does not expect her superiors to allow her to rule the country. But, at the same time, she emphasizes that now the government of the Russian Federation needs exactly people like her:

• having good organizational skills;
• not related to clans that have been at the helm for decades;
• not having windfall profits and business empires;
• not closed in a rigid ideological framework;
• not belonging to certain parties.

Preparing for the fight, the journalist said that she was ready to give up the presidency in favor of Alexei Navalny if the charges against the oppositionist were dropped and he was allowed to participate in the 2018 elections.

Vyacheslav Maltsev

Blogger, public and political figure, Vyacheslav Maltsev is very active, both in real life and on the Internet, where he conducts his video broadcasts.

The radical oppositionist has the most minimal chances of winning, but considers them a matter of principle. He is going to conduct his campaign by analogy with the Duma, using all legal resources for agitation and creating his headquarters everywhere.

Sergei Polonsky

In December 2017, it became known that Sergei Polonsky seriously intended to take part in the presidential elections. Infamous businessman hiding from Russian justice in Cambodia and deported to his homeland in 2015, he chose a rather unusual place for the official announcement of his candidacy in the 2018 elections - the Bagration Bridge.

The much publicized lawsuit was completed 4 months ago. Polonsky was sentenced to 5 years in prison, but the businessman no longer faces a real prison, due to the statute of limitations. At the same time, the very fact of a criminal record does not deprive Sergei Yuryevich of the right to join the struggle for the post of head of the Russian Federation. Although, the businessman does not hide that this time he will be more than satisfied with the second place with the prospect of taking the lead in the next presidential election.

Polonsky positions himself as the only real candidate from business, and considers Yavlinsky and Sobchak his closest competitors.

Emphasizing the seriousness of his intentions, Sergei Polonsky opens virtual campaign headquarters and is actively working on a program whose main positions at the moment are:

1. "City of the Future" on the Crimean Peninsula.
2. Complete closure of prisons and release of prisoners.
3. Cooperation and friendly relations with the USA.

Polonsky also announced that he hoped for the support of Boris Titov, since at the moment there is no official candidate from the "Party of Growth".

Anatoly Batashev

He is nominated by the Green Party and has very big ambitions. Until recently, Anatoly Batashev served as an adviser to Balashikha near Moscow, but, in connection with his participation in the elections, he left it.

He declares that he is used to working hard and hard for the good of the country and has no craving for real estate and expensive cars. He is going to carry out a number of reforms:

1. constitutional;
2. social and labor;
3. transport;
4. foreign policy.

The electoral program is going to be written at a level not lower than the syllable of Machiavelli or Solzhenitsyn, so that she herself collects the required number of electorate, promoting herself, in particular, in social networks.

Maxim Suraikin is another contender for the presidency

Despite the crushing defeat in the Duma elections, where the Communists of Russia collected less than 2.5% of the vote, they have big ambitions for the 2018 Russian presidential election.

The party's candidate was its chairman Maxim Suraikin, who, at a press conference, said that he would take at least second place.

Prokhorova Irina

Irina Prokhorova is the sister of the famous Russian businessman Mikhail Prokhorov and the head of the charitable foundation named after him. Now Irina Prokhorova is a member of the Civic Platform party, created by Mikhail Prokhorov. In 2013, she headed the civil committee of the party, but withdrew due to the party split caused by the annexation of Crimea to Russia in 2014.

In February of this year, Irina Prokhorova expressed a desire to take part in the presidential elections in the Russian Federation in 2018, motivating her decision by the fact that in Russia even a woman can become president. Mikhail Prokhorov, who ran for the presidency in the last 2012 elections, has not yet spoken out about his intentions for the upcoming elections, but he is unlikely to compete with his sister.

Ivan Okhlobystin

The statements about Ivan Okhlobystin's participation in the presidential elections are most likely another shocking thing that he does not disdain.

Ivan Okhlobystin, a former Orthodox priest and now a well-known Russian artist who loves to play odious but interesting characters, announced his desire to participate in the 2018 presidential race for the second time. Last time, he was prevented from taking part in the struggle for the presidency by a ban on the church, which he could not go against. This time, Okhlobystin is again going to participate in the elections only with the consent of the church. But since Patriarch Kirill now approves of Vladimir Putin's policy, we think that Okhlobystin's permission will not be seen.

Yuri Boldyrev

Yuri Boldyrev is a fairly well-known political figure and publicist. In politics for a long time. He was one of the founders of the political party "Yabloko", a People's Deputy of the USSR, a member of the Federation Council, an adviser to the Government, and also an employee of the Accounts Chamber.

Throughout his political career, Boldyrev opposed the methods used by the ruling parties. Focusing on the fact that resources should be used exclusively in the interests of Russia, he repeatedly raised issues of theft of state property by officials and advocated radical measures in the fight against corruption.

It is quite natural that his ideas found a proper response from people. Although, the likelihood that Boldyrev's electorate will be able to give him the required percentage of votes and bring him to the lead is very small.

Sergei Shoigu

According to many, Sergei Shoigu is ideally suited to the role of Putin's successor. With a solid reputation, great political experience and high ratings, he may well qualify for the presidency. But for all the previous years, holding a high post and having the opportunity to run for president, Shoigu never put forward his candidacy for this post.

The question of whether the former head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations will be among the candidates who will join the fight in 2018 is of interest to many. But Sergei Kuzhugetovich himself keeps silent and does not want to talk about this topic, which further fuels the interest of the media in his candidacy.

It is quite possible that his name will appear in the list of contenders for the post of President of the Russian Federation from the United Russia party. But this will only happen if Putin makes the final decision not to run for another term.

Ramzan Kadyrov

As the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov is already quite a powerful political figure today and enjoys the support of the Kremlin. Is it possible that he will become the successor of the current president?

On the one hand, Kadyrov is a strong and strong-willed personality. Many political scientists are unanimous in their opinion that he will cope with the role of president without outside help and support, and will also be able to fully continue the country's movement along the vector set by the current government. On the other hand, he is young, has a very hot and quick-tempered character, which is not very good for a politician of this magnitude.

Boris Titov

Boris Titov is the authorized representative under the President of the Russian Federation for the protection of the rights of entrepreneurs, and now also a new candidate for the post of head of state. He is positioned as an opposition candidate for the presidency and a "candidacy from business." Titov is nominated by the "Party of Growth", which not so long ago announced its likely support for Vladimir Putin in the elections.

From reliable sources it became known that the issue of choosing the most worthy candidate had been decided since August. The coveted place was also claimed by:

• Internet Ombudsman Dmitry Marinichev;
• federal secretary of the party Alexander Khuruji;
• Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Oksana Dmitrieva;
• ex-deputy of the State Duma from the "Fair Russia";
• businessman Dmitry Potapenko.

Titov enters the race for the presidency with the Growth Strategy program, which was prepared by the Stolypin Club and presented to Putin in May 2017.

So far, there has been no official reaction from the Kremlin to Titov's candidacy. But, political scientists have already calculated that the Party of Growth, which gained 1.29% in the parliamentary campaign, is unlikely to be able to significantly change the course of the elections, even if such popular opposition candidates as Sobchak and Navalny do not participate in them.

Pavel Grudinin

The Communist Party nominated its candidate for the presidential elections in Russia. The candidate from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation will be the director of JSC "Sovkhoz im. Lenin" - Pavel Grudinin. This decision was supported by 303 of the 314 delegates who took part in the secret ballot.

Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov does not want to believe that the outcome of the elections can be predetermined if the incumbent president participates in them and is ready to personally proclaim Grudinin's campaign. Although Zyuganov himself withdrew from the race for the presidency for health reasons, he is confident that the program approved by the Communist Party will resonate with Russians.

The candidate himself is interesting because he is not a member of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, although he has political experience, because he was a member of the United Russia party and in the 2000 elections was one of Vladimir Putin's confidants.

Experts speak of Grudinin himself as an influential sponsor of the Communist Party, a good manager (he has been running the state farm since 1995) and a figure who will be very inconvenient for many if he takes a seat in the government. It is unlikely that his candidacy will gain enough votes in the presidential election. But the prospect of taking the place of the governor of the Moscow region is quite real, in which the election campaign can play an important role.

Roman Khudyakov

A well-known politician of Russia and Transnistria was nominated as a single candidate from the non-parliamentary party CHESTNO.

The political career of the candidate is quite interesting:

• Chairman of the movement "LDPR of Transnistria";
• confidant and assistant to Zhirinovsky;
• Deputy of the City Council of Tiraspol;
• adviser to Anatoly Kaminsky;
• deputy of the State Duma of the Pskov region from the Liberal Democratic Party;
• Deputy of the State Duma of Russia.

Elvira Agurbash

Elvira Agurbash, First Vice-President of the Mortadel agricultural complex, will be a candidate from the Green Alliance in the 2018 presidential elections in the Russian Federation.

A lawyer by education, a mother of 4 children and a successful manager, she became known for her speeches at discussions of bills on trade. Having decided to run for president, Agurbash promises to protect the interests of small and medium-sized businesses, as well as resist markups in large federal networks.

Boris Titov

The business ombudsman and leader of the public organization "Business Russia" was nominated as a candidate for the presidential elections on December 21 by the "Party of Growth".

Alexander Khurudzhi, Dmitry Marinichev, Oksana Dmitrieva and Dmitry Potapenko also participated in the primaries, but the council members unanimously chose Titov's candidacy.

The ombudsman himself in a press release made it clear that he sensibly assesses his chances of winning, because in the upcoming elections in 2018 there will be a clear favorite. The main task that the candidate sets for himself is to represent the interests of a large group of entrepreneurs of small and medium-sized businesses.

Anton Bakov

The Monarchist Party is a successful project of billionaire Bakov, which provided him with the opportunity to take part in the 2018 presidential election. The main idea of ​​the organization is the revival of the Russian monarchy.

The election program of Anton Bakov is simple and clear to every Russian. It consists of only two items:

• "Experiment in a test tube". Creation of a state within a state, on the basis of which a monarchical experiment will be carried out.
• Export of the monarchist idea (creation of the so-called monarchist international).

Sergey Baburin

Former Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Sergei Baburin is running for president to fight neoliberalism. The party "Russian People's Union" acts as the subject of the nomination. According to the scientist and politician, it is neoliberalism that is the cause of all the failures that have befallen the country in recent years.

Communicating with the press, Baburin speaks approvingly about the foreign policy of the current government, in particular about the return of the Crimea, but considers the steps taken by Putin within the country to be ineffective.

Yuri Sidorov

On December 23, 2017, at the congress of the Small Business Party, a decision was made by general vote to nominate Yuri Sidorov as a candidate for the post of head of the Russian Federation in the 2018 elections.

Sidorov sets a clear goal for his team - in the sustainable socio-economic development of Russia and the formation of a middle class. The candidate already has an election program that includes reforms in the field of:

• Sciences;
• health care;
• Agriculture;
• national security.

Natalya Lisitsyna

In the 2018 elections, the candidate from the Russian United Labor Front will be tower crane operator Natalya Lisitsyna.

In her interview with the media, an employee of the plant said that the decision to run for the presidency is a responsible step, which she takes in order to remind the country's leadership that the Russian economy rests on the shoulders of the workers and they must be reckoned with.

Elena Semerikova

Elena Semerikova became the second woman (after Natalya Lisitsyna) to officially submit documents to the Central Election Commission. The subject of the nomination of this candidate is the non-parliamentary party "Women's Dialogue", which automatically means that in the near future Semerikova will have to confirm popular support by collecting more than 100 thousand votes (with no more than 2500 from a certain region).

Among others, the candidate's program includes such items as:

• settlement of relations with Ukraine;
• cooperation with the USA;
• support for LGBT communities.

Alexander Sukhov

Alexander Yuryevich Sukhov - President of the Russian Charitable Foundation and Director of the NP Department of Tourism and Sports. Having been in politics for a long time, he has his own well-established views on how to solve a number of problems, which he outlined in his election program.

Sukhov's main goal is to change the political and economic situation in the Russian Federation, which should lead to an increase in the standard of living of each individual family. The lines about free medicine, increasing the number of jobs and caring for beneficiaries look attractive. But, will the promise be fully realized if people still believe in possible changes and cast their votes for Sukhov? Similar promises are heard all too often during the pre-election period and are quickly forgotten by candidates after they achieve their goals.

When will the presidential elections be held in Russia?

The date of the presidential elections in Russia in 2018, according to the Constitution, must correspond to the 2nd Sunday of the month in which the president was elected last time. In 2012, Vladimir Putin was elected in March, therefore, the presidential elections in the Russian Federation in 2018 should be held on the second Sunday of March 2018, that is, the exact date is March 11.

However, on March 3, 2017, the senators submitted a number of amendments to the legislation for consideration by the State Duma, including the postponement of elections to the 3rd Sunday of the month - March 18. The State Duma adopted them on May 24, 2017. The final decision remains with the current head of state, V. Putin - if he signs the law, the elections will be postponed to March 18, 2018.

2018 presidential election results

As planned, the presidential elections in the Russian Federation took place on March 18, 2018. More than 67.47% of the politically active population of the country (approximately 73 million people) made their choice. They voted not only in all regions of the country, but also abroad. It was possible to vote at one of 380 polling stations opened in 146 countries of the world.

Pavel Grudinin became the closest competitor for the current head of government, but the gap between the candidates was more than 60%, which, even before the announcement of the final results, allows us to say that Vladimir Putin is already winning in the 1st round. The remaining contenders for the presidency divided the votes in this way:

On March 23, 2018, all 100% of the ballots were processed, which made it possible to announce the final election results.

№	Candidate	Percent	Number of votes
1	Vladimir Putin	76,67%	56.17 million
2	Pavel Grudinin	11,77%	8.64 million
3	Vladimir Zhirinovsky	5,65%	4.14 million
4	Ksenia Sobchak	1,68%	1.22 million
5	Grigory Yavlinsky	1,05%	764.5 thousand
6	Boris Titov	0,76%	about 500 thousand
7	Maxim Suraikin	0,68%	< 500 тыс.
8	Sergey Baburin	0,65%	< 500 тыс.

The results of 14 polling stations (including one overseas, located in Australia) were declared invalid, but this fact did not affect overall result due to the small number of canceled ballots.

On Sunday, March 18, presidential elections were held in the Russian Federation. Their result was expected - Vladimir Putin will continue to rule the country. The inauguration will take place only on May 7, and the Russians are already waiting for the next elections.

In an interview with the press, Ella Pamfilova, head of the CEC, said: distributed registry technologies will be used in the next presidential elections in the Russian Federation. Most likely, they will be based on the blockchain. VTsIOM used blockchain in the elections the day before yesterday.

The date of the next presidential elections in the Russian Federation and the forecasts of Vladimir Zhirinovsky

The next presidential election after 2018 will be held on March 17, 2024. According to the Constitution, the head of the country will be elected for six years of government by anonymous voting. Vladimir Zhirinovsky shared his forecast regarding the election results.

Vladimir Zhirinovsky commented on the preliminary result of the March 18, 2018 elections and shared his opinion on who will become president in 2024. The LDPR leader noted that the results of Sunday's elections did not please anyone. However, what will be their outcome was known a year earlier. Therefore, in 2024, with a result of 60-70%, the candidate from the government will win. Vladimir Zhirinovsky complained about the lack of democracy and the fact that elections are not free.

As of 16:15 March 19, Vladimir Putin has 76.69% of the vote. 11.77% voted for Pavel Grudinin, 5.65% for Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Ksenia Sobchak was in fourth place with a score of 1.68%.

Foreign journalists reacted differently to the results of the 2018 elections in Russia

In the foreign media today, one of the most topical topics for discussion remains the election of the President of the Russian Federation, one might say, his crushing victory. According to American journalists from The Washington Post, Vladimir Putin staged an election show. Relations between Russia and the West will worsen while the leader of the Russian Federation decides what to do next. Before the elections, Vladimir Putin did not announce his future plans, there was no campaign of his, but he demonstrated fantastic weapons. The Russian media have hinted that America is a threat, and the country needs a strong leader, as only Vladimir Putin can be.

According to National Public Radio (NPR), citizens want stability, and Vladimir Putin has been in office for eighteen years. People are simply afraid of change. For National Review journalists, his re-election was predictable. Reports of ballot box stuffing, that citizens are being forced to vote, will not be able to discredit Vladimir Putin. According to The New York Times, his rule will be the same as before, without changes, without cardinal attempts to revive the Russian Federation as a world state.

Journalists from Canada of the Globe and Mail edition called the re-election of the leader of the Russian Federation a continuation of the multifaceted conflict between the Russian Federation and the West, the information war, real hostilities in Ukraine, Syria, causing maximum damage to the economy through the imposition of sanctions. Brazil's Folha de Sao Paulo reported that among the other candidates were individuals close to Vladimir Putin and took part in the elections in order to give the vote legitimacy. In Germany they say that now in Russia there will be stagnation for another six years, there will be no serious reforms. Vladimir Putin is the master of the Kremlin, and even in 2024 he will remain so.

Experts predict that after the presidential elections in 2018, the reform of the political system will begin

Photo: Vladimir Afanasiev / Parliamentary Newspaper

Leveling the competitiveness of parties will become one of the main directions of the reform of the political system in Russia. And one of her vectors will be the consolidation of parties. This was stated by the participants of the meeting of the Parliamentary Newspaper Expert Club, which took place on October 12.

"Multisubjectivity" instead of manual control

The moderator of the Parliamentary Newspaper Expert Club, a political scientist, said that the reform of the political system is overdue, since the existing mechanism for forming the Russian parliament has successfully completed its task of cutting off populist groups from the legislative branch. And, according to him, the drop in voter turnout, which was noted by political scientists on a single voting day on September 10, is “reasonable voter behavior.” The expert believes that the substantive difference of the future reform is that the regime of personal power with one, albeit an excellent leader, will be replaced by "multi-subjectivity".

“The mechanism for making collegial decisions will be stronger than manual control,” Markov said about one of the reform options.

Mikhail Emelyanov. Photo: Igor Samokhvalov / Parliamentary Newspaper

Also, according to him, a scenario is quite real when political parties in Russia become a platform for the integration of government and big business. For example, he explained, if in some city there is businessman No. 1, then there is also businessman No. 2, who will always be in conflict with the first. Each of them needs its own political support, its own party - such a system works in dozens of countries around the world. In Russia, for the time being, business is placing more emphasis on supporting governors or mayors than deputies. The political scientist believes that the situation should change in favor of the parties.

The voter does not go to the polls, because he is sure that all parties in Russia are the same, and voting is necessary "for show", said the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on state building and legislation, deputy from the Just Russia faction. The parliamentarian is convinced that the reform of the political system in Russia is impossible without proposals from the parties themselves. According to him, some people in the systemic opposition have been talking about this for a long time, and there are more and more such people.

Ivan Abramov. Photo: Igor Samokhvalov / Parliamentary Newspaper

“No one will break parties over the knee - such a reform will not restore the trust of voters. I think the authorities will mark the path to reform, so that the parties move on it themselves,” the legislator noted.

And now, according to Mikhail Yemelyanov, it is necessary to create a coordinating council for opposition parliamentary parties - this will make it easier to promote initiatives. Especially since, for example, the introduction of a progressive tax scale in Russia is supported by all three opposition Duma factions. Therefore, the union of A Just Russia, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the deputy believes, is “not such a fantastic idea.”

Towards bipartisanship

The reform of the political system will begin immediately after the presidential elections in Russia in March 2018, experts are convinced. And we will hear proposals on how to implement changes already during the pre-election statements of presidential candidates - the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Regional Policy and Problems of the North is sure of this and Far East, deputy from the LDPR faction.

“The demand for a strong opposition has already been formed in society. And the candidate who formulates it will have a great chance of winning,” he said.

Konstantin Babkin. Photo: Igor Samokhvalov / Parliamentary Newspaper

And the parliamentarian sees the essence of the reform in the enlargement of political parties. At the same time, the parliamentarian noted: if the current electoral legislation would work one hundred percent, then the question of the majority party would always be open.

Experts agree that the emergence of a “second major party” along with United Russia will make it possible to get away from a situation where the interests of a huge number of Russians are not expressed in any way during elections. A political strategist Andrey Kolyadin noted: the authorities will not give a signal for reform if there is no specific project to change the political system. As they say, there is no project - there are no solutions.

Andrey Kolyadin. Photo: Igor Samokhvalov / Parliamentary Newspaper

Meanwhile, not everyone is sure that the reform of the political system will begin in 2018. But in 2021, the State Duma will be formed according to a different principle - few people doubt this. In particular, this opinion was expressed to the Parliamentary newspaper by the head of the Party of Affairs Konstantin Babkin.

“Elections will become more competitive, there will be more competition. In any case, our party feels the desire to suppress our political activity, and we really hope for it,” he said.

2018 was marked by the most important event for the country - the election of the President of the Russian Federation. Next year, such large-scale events are not to be expected, however, elections of authorities at the regional level are planned. From this article you will find out who is chosen in Russia in 2019.

In St. Petersburg

In the fall of 2019, elections of deputies of municipalities are expected in St. federal significance. It has more than 100 intracity municipalities (MO), each of them has its own representatives of the legislature. Representatives of different parties and self-nominated candidates have the right to run for deputies, however, in the last elections, which were held in 2014, more than 90% of the mandates went to representatives of United Russia.

In order to prevent such a situation again, the opposition began election campaign long before 2019, having united representatives of different parties in the opposition to the "monopoly" of United Russia representatives of different parties - "A Just Russia", Democrats, the Party of Growth. For this, more than half of the election commissions were reorganized and the number of members of the ECMO was reduced from 10-12 people to 8. The point of getting more votes is to pass through the “municipal filter”. This is the threshold, introduced in 2012, which determines the possibility of being elected governor of a given subject.

Thus, for registration, a candidate needs to collect the signatures of 10% of the deputies representing different municipalities (for St. Petersburg - at least 84). Former State Duma deputy Dmitry Gudkov launched the United Democrats project for the cultural capital, which was successfully implemented in Moscow in 2017 and allowed more than 200 independent candidates to be promoted.

Powers of municipal deputies

Many citizens do not know what a position is municipal deputy and what is its activity. Any adult citizen who does not have the citizenship of another country, both an independent candidate and a party representative, can become such a deputy. Most often they are people who are in leadership positions in government organizations: school directors, heads of hospitals, etc. These politicians deal with issues of local importance: they distribute the city budget, coordinate the work of municipal institutions, organize local cultural and political events, interact with the executive branch on the improvement of the city. They are required to meet with voters every month and once a year report on the results of their work. You can find out who will run for your constituency on the CenterElectionCom website at the address of registration.

In Novosibirsk

In 2019, another political event, significant at the regional level, is expected - the head of Novosibirsk will be elected. The current mayor, Anatoly Lokot, is expected to run for another term. In addition to him, several possible candidates are identified in the press: Andrey Gudovsky, politician and businessman, Andrey Ksenzov, former vice-mayor and vice-governor of the region, who has already run for mayor earlier, city council speaker Dmitry Asantsev and Vyacheslav Ilyukhin, city council deputy. The elections will take place on 8 September.

Potential candidates Andrey Gudovsky and Andrey Ksenzov

2019 gubernatorial election

Elections of the governor of the Chelyabinsk region and many other federal subjects are also expected in autumn. The current head of the Chelyabinsk region, Boris Dubrovsky, is also eligible to run for a second term. Information about other candidates for the post of head is not yet available. In addition to the Chelyabinsk region, elections of heads of at least 29 other subjects of the country are planned in September 2019. The governor, the head of the subject of Russia is a significant and resonant position, with extensive powers, this supreme body executive power in the region. Elected by direct secret ballot for a term of 5 years. Recall that from 2004 to 2012 there were no direct elections - the heads of the executive branch were appointed by the decision of the legislative assembly at the proposal of the President of the Russian Federation. In 2012, "popular" elections were returned.

Elections of deputies to the Moscow City Duma

Political scientists believe that the elections to the Moscow City Duma will be a significant event in 2019. The Moscow City Duma is a legislative body, a city assembly of 45 deputies - one from each constituency of the city. All constituencies are single-member, for nomination it is not necessary to have a party affiliation, as before (a party was elected that appointed its deputies according to the number of mandates won, and not a specific candidate).

The Moscow City Duma deals with city finances, local self-government, has the right to initiate legislation, has the authority to appoint justices of the peace and representatives of the Accounts Chamber, and also approves the chief prosecutor of the capital. Opposition activists, the People's Freedom Party (Parnassus), are planning to fight for votes in the legislature. According to analysts, there will be many worthy candidates from different parties, and the struggle will be serious.

In the Republic of Tatarstan

In the fall of 2019, deputies to the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan will be elected every 5 years. It is the highest legislative body in the region, consisting of 100 representatives of the people's power. Elections are mixed - half of the candidates are elected from single-seat constituencies, half from party lists. The party barrier has been 7% since 2009. The Tatarstan parliament decides legislative matters of local importance, coordinates the activities of local executive power, distributes the budget of the republic and resolves other issues that are in the regional department.

On March 18, the next, the seventh in the history of our country, national elections of the head of state took place in Russia. The next major federal elections (unless, of course, something extraordinary happens to the newly elected president during this time and his early re-elections are needed) will be elections to the lower house of the Russian parliament - the State Duma. Many are already wondering when these elections will take place, so we give brief reference about them. Elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation - in what year will the next elections to the Russian parliament take place, is it possible now to talk about the prospects for its composition.

How often do elections to the State Duma take place and when were the last elections held

The State Duma in modern Russia (let's leave alone the experience of a hundred years ago) appeared 25 years ago, in 1993, with the adoption of the current Constitution. The first elections were held on December 12, 1993. Initially, the term of office of the Duma was four years, but the Constitution contained a special amendment regarding the first composition of the Duma - its term of office was two years and expired at the end of 1995.

The two-year term of office of the first composition of the modern Duma did not appear by chance. There were several reasons for this, one of them - the authors of the Constitution considered it desirable that the Duma be elected shortly before the next presidential election. Thus, firstly, it was possible to objectively understand the mood of the people six months before the election of the head of state, and this is a plus for all participants in the presidential election. Secondly, the elected president understood what kind of parliament he would have to work with throughout his entire term.

Thus, in December 1995, the second composition of the Duma was elected, and in the summer of 1996, presidential elections were held.

The term of office of both the State Duma and the President of Russia, according to the original text of the Constitution, was four years. Elections have always been held almost simultaneously.

In 2008, the first serious amendments in its history were made to the Constitution, and the terms of office of the State Duma and the President of Russia were extended. Moreover, for the State Duma, the term was increased by a year - and for the head of state by two years - up to six years.

Explaining this step, the Russian authorities spoke of the desire to get away from the provision that was originally provided for by the Constitution. If in the early 1990s it was convenient for parliamentary elections and presidential elections to be held simultaneously, 15 years later it was decided that this would lead to excessive politicization of society and it would be better if these elections were as far apart as possible in time relative to each other. .

The last elections to the State Duma in Russia were held in September 2016. At the moment, the seventh convocation of the modern State Duma is working, and this is the second convocation, the term of office of which is five years.

When will the next elections to the State Duma in Russia take place?

Thus, the next elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation will have to take place V September 2021 when the term of office of the current Duma expires.

Of course, the elections in 2021 will be held if the seventh composition of the Duma is finalized. Purely theoretically, according to the Constitution, the Duma can terminate its powers ahead of schedule if it is dissolved by the president. The Constitution gives the head of state such a right in the following cases:

• if the State Duma rejects the candidacy of the Chairman of the Government (Prime Minister) three times, which the President submits for approval;
• if the State Duma twice within three months will express no confidence in the Government of Russia.

It is clear that such situations in the conditions of modern Russia are pure fantasy. Even in the 1990s, when the State Duma was really independent and oppositional, it never came to its dissolution by the president, all conflicts were somehow resolved without extreme measures. Now, when the Duma is absolutely obedient to the Presidential Administration, there is no doubt that its next composition will be finalized before the end of its term of office, all the more so. We can say with full confidence that the next elections to the State Duma will be held in 2021, in September.

What could be the next composition of the State Duma

Talking about the personal composition of the future Duma, which will be elected in the fall of 2021, is rather pointless at the moment. Three and a half years remain before these elections, and during this time the political situation in Russia can change very noticeably.

Even if we imagine the most conservative picture and assume that the same parties that are present in it today will enter the Duma, we should not forget at what age the leaders of some parties will be in 2021.

So, the head of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Gennady Zyuganov, will be 77 years old in 2021 (and by the end of the term of this Duma - 82). The leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, will be 75 years old in 2021, and by the end of the term of office of the eighth convocation of the Duma, he will be 80 years old. Even relatively young against their background, Sergei Mironov, who heads the Just Russia faction, will be 68 years old in 2021, and 73 years old by 2026.

Obviously, at least at the level of the leaders of the parties traditionally elected to parliament, we will have to face serious changes.

It is also not a fact that the Presidential Administration will be able to form the most loyal and obedient Duma in 2021. A lot can change in 3.5 years, and what political forces will have sufficient weight in society to get into parliament in 2021, now one can only guess.

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