United Russia has announced the top five candidates on its federal list for the State Duma elections. The list was presented at the party's congress in Moscow by its chairman, Dmitry Medvedev, who himself was not included — as was the case in 2021.
The top five are:
— Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (first on the list);
— Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin (second);
— Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova;
— Yevgeny Podduzny, a war correspondent and deputy director of the state broadcaster VGTRK;
— Vladislav Golovin, head of the main staff of the Yunarmiya youth movement and a participant in the war in Ukraine.
According to Meduza, citing sources close to the presidential administration, the final composition of the top five was personally approved by Vladimir Putin. The publication reported that the candidacies of Lavrov, Lvova-Belova, and Golovin had not appeared in preliminary discussions — the final version was finalized just days before the congress. Earlier, media reports had suggested that Medvedev might head the list, but that did not happen. Meduza's sources said that State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin and Kremlin political chief Sergei Kiriyenko opposed including Medvedev.
At the congress, for the first time since 2007, campaign imagery directly linking the party to the president was used. A poster featuring Putin's portrait with the slogan 'Being for Putin is the bare minimum' was presented. United Russia declared itself the 'party of the president.'
Putin addressed the congress. He said that Russia 'cannot be defeated on the battlefield' and called participants in the war 'the true elite.' The president urged party members to spend less time in offices and on messaging apps and more time talking to people, and promised to fulfill social obligations despite the 'difficult stage.' He also confirmed that the elections would take place as scheduled — from September 18 to 20 — although, as Meduza previously reported, security officials had lobbied for a postponement, fearing a loss of control over the situation in the country.
Meduza's sources within the ruling party noted that nominating Sobyanin, a 'strong manager,' as the first candidate could have boosted United Russia's ratings, but he is second, while the other members of the top five are 'no-names with no connection to the party.' At the same time, a source close to the presidential administration called Lavrov 'a surprise for everyone' but does not consider him a problematic figure: the minister will not interfere in the conduct of the campaign.
Novaya Gazeta Europe recalls that after the previous elections in 2021, four of the five top candidates (including Lavrov) declined their mandates and handed them to others. The same practice was used in the 2007, 2011, and 2016 elections, when the lists were headed by Putin and Medvedev. Novaya Gazeta calls this practice 'locomotives' — well-known figures serve as an electoral facade, and after the elections the mandates go to less prominent candidates.