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The all-Russian political party United Russia is the Russian "party of power" created to support the policies of President Vladimir Putin. It was founded on December 1, 2001, through the merger of the conservative populist movement Unity and two elite electoral blocs—Fatherland — All Russia and Our Home — Russia. The main goal of the merger was to create a strong and unified centralized party of power.

In the 2007 parliamentary elections, United Russia won over 60% of the vote, and in 2021, it won around 50%, maintaining a supermajority despite accusations of vote rigging. However, the party frequently faces criticism for its lack of a deep ideology, corruption, and role in "managed democracy." Its successes are often attributed to manipulation rather than genuine popularity (the party's approval rating in 2021 was around 26%, according to polls).

Historically, the party's leadership was associated with Putin, who headed it from 2008 to 2012. Since 2012, Dmitry Medvedev has served as the party's chairman.
United Russia's regional branches form a multi-tiered organizational network encompassing primary cells at the municipal level, district branches, and fully-fledged regional councils in all 89 federal subjects (including occupied ones). These structures, which emerged after the 2001 merger, actively participate in the nomination of candidates for gubernatorial posts and legislative bodies, where they mobilize administrative resources to support campaigns, leading to regional variations in the party's dominance: in some subjects, such as the Amur Region, it faces challenges from local opposition blocs, illustrating the local roots of electoral authoritarianism.[12]

In the 2003 and 2007 elections, regional branches went from disparately distributing votes to different parties to united support for a single candidate, Vladimir Putin. This contributed to the party's strengthening role in forming a majority in the State Duma, where it took 235 of 450 seats after uniting with its predecessors.[13][14][15]

Within the regional branches, ideological clubs operate, such as the "Social Conservative Club," the "November 4 Club," and the "State Patriotic Club." These clubs serve as platforms for policy development and career advancement, including gubernatorial trajectories. Of the 393 governors appointed between 1991 and 2021, a significant number came through party structures. These clubs, created in the 2000s, contribute to the ideological evolution from pragmatism to conservatism and patriotism. However, they have also been criticized for suppressing political pluralism and turning the party into an instrument of dominant power, rather than traditional institutions.
The party's official ideological platform, described by its leaders as centrism[18] and conservatism[19][20] (Russian conservatism[21]), assumes a statist position and a declared pragmatism. Researchers have also identified corporatism[22] and statism[23] within the party.

In April 2005, State Duma Chairman Boris Gryzlov declared that United Russia was pursuing a socially conservative policy. Gryzlov emphasized that United Russia opposed "both various forms of communist restorationism and ultra-liberalism." He criticized proponents of liberal theory, which, in his view, "consolidates the advantages of the strong and the rich, gives them a head start, and hinders the entry of new people and enterprises."[24]

The party supports the policies of the current government and president. In the 2007 parliamentary elections, United Russia ran under slogans supporting President Vladimir Putin's policies—the Putin plan.

In 2009, the United Russia party declared Russian conservatism its official ideology. This was clearly and unequivocally articulated at the party's 11th Congress in St. Petersburg on November 21. A programmatic document was adopted, declaring: "The Party's ideology is Russian conservatism."

In its program documents and in statements by its members, United Russia emphasizes its commitment to the values ​​of anthropological conservatism. Tradition is emphasized. "Our ideology distinguishes UNITED RUSSIA from its opponents and adversaries. The party is guided by the principle of 'Preserve and Enhance.'" The party's program document states: "Preserving values ​​and traditions, enhancing the country's potential through innovative development—this is Russia's path to becoming a leader in the 21st century."

The party also asserts that its absolute priority is the individual. This priority was earned in Russia through centuries of suffering, when the value of human life was almost negligible. All human rights proclaimed by the Constitution and international law are of equal, unconditional, and supreme value to us: be it freedom of speech, freedom of movement, access to cultural treasures, the right to housing, or social security.

However, in 2015, United Russia shifted its ideology to liberal conservatism, which aligns with right-wing centrism. This shift occurred due to the economic crisis in the Russian Federation.
The United Russia party is ideologically diverse. It has a left, socially conservative "wing" and a right, liberal-conservative "wing." The party also has a national-conservative group. These groups are officially recognized as discussion clubs within the party. These include the "liberal" club "November 4," the "social" club "Center for Social-Conservative Policy," and the State-Patriotic Club.

On October 21, 2021, speaking at the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club, Vladimir Putin emphasized the importance of the ideology of "healthy conservatism" for Russia. He noted that a conservative approach should not be understood as "mindless protectiveness," a fear of change, or a desire to preserve the status quo.

According to the president, moderate conservatism implies reliance on tradition, concern for the preservation and growth of the population, a realistic assessment of one's own actions and the actions of others, a precise system of priorities, a balance between what is necessary and what is possible, a prudent formulation of goals, and a fundamental rejection of extremism as a way to solve problems.

Sovereign democracy

In February 2006, the official website of the United Russia party published a transcript of a speech by Vladislav Surkov, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office. In his address to the Center for Party Studies and Personnel Training, he attempted to "describe recent history through assessments and from a perspective that is generally consistent with the president's policies, and through this, to formulate our fundamental approaches to what has happened before and to what will happen to us in the future."

Surkov tasked the party with "not simply winning the 2007 parliamentary elections, but thinking about and doing everything possible to ensure the party's dominance for at least the next 10-15 years." To maintain its position, he advised its members to "master the ideology" and create "permanent propaganda groups in the regions to support the fight against political opponents."

The key concept of Surkov's ideological platform was "sovereign democracy." Russian President Dmitry Medvedev subsequently noted that he was a supporter of "genuine democracy, or simply democracy with comprehensive state sovereignty."

The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) is a registered Russian left-wing, declaratively Marxist political party.
The Communist Party of the Russian Federation is considered the successor to the Communist Party of the RSFSR, which was formed at the First Founding Congress of the Communist Party of the RSFSR on June 20, 1990. The party itself, in its current form, emerged at the Second Extraordinary Congress of Communists of Russia on February 14, 1993.[10] Since 1995, it has been one of the largest, and since 2003, the second largest, political parties in Russia.

Since its founding, it has been in declared opposition to the current government (with the exception of a brief period from September 1998 to May 1999, when the CPRF was part of the Primakov government). In fact, it is currently one of the most oppositional parties within the systemic opposition, which, although partially controlled by the presidential administration of the Russian Federation, still retains some autonomy and grassroots opposition at the regional level, while federal policy remains under strong control and imbued with pro-Putin loyalty.[11]

The party's structure is represented by regional, local, and primary branches. Nominally, the CPRF has regional branches in 89 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, including in the territories occupied by Russia.
The party participated in elections of deputies to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of all convocations and was represented by a faction in each of them.
The CPRF program states that the party is the legal successor of the CPSU on the territory of the Russian Federation[6].

The CPRF program states that the party is guided by Marxist-Leninist doctrine and creatively develops it, drawing on the experience and achievements of domestic and world science and culture.[6] A significant place in the programmatic documents and works of the party leaders is occupied by the confrontation between the new world order and the Russian people with its thousand-year history, with its qualities, as perceived by CPRF members, such as conciliarity and sovereignty, community (collectivism), deep faith, and ineradicable altruism.

LDPR - Liberal Democratic Party of Russia - is an official political party founded in 1989-1990.

Basic information about the party

Founder: *Vladimir Zhirinovsky (until 2022).

• Leader: *Leonid Slutsky (since May 2022).
• Official website: ldp.ru.

Party ideology

The LDPR's ideology is based on the principles of populism, Russian nationalism and statism.

Party activities

The LDPR is represented by a faction in the State Duma of the Russian Federation, as well as in regional parliaments. The party actively promotes initiatives aimed at social support for the population, protecting motherhood and providing assistance to families, and promoting regional development.

New People is a Russian center-right political party founded on March 1, 2020. About the Party: Founder and Leader: Alexey Nechayev. Date of Registration: March 24, 2020. Official Website: newpeople.ru. Activities and Representation: State Duma: The party is represented in the State Duma of the Russian Federation (a faction formed following the 2021 elections) and in a number of regional parliaments (for example, the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg). Position: The party positions itself as a force for the future, advocating for the development of small businesses, government renewal, and dialogue with voters whose needs have previously been overlooked. At the same time, independent expert circles often characterize the party as loyal to the country's leadership.

The Yabloko Party (officially the Russian United Democratic Party Yabloko) is one of the oldest political parties in Russia, founded in October 1993. The organization adheres to a socially liberal, pro-European, and pacifist ideology.

Key Information *

Party founders: Grigory Yavlinsky, Yuri Boldyrev, and Vladimir Lukin. The name "Yabloko" comes from the first letters of their last names.

Current Chairman: Nikolai Rybakov (since 2019). Grigory Yavlinsky serves as the head of the party's Federal Political Committee.

Main slogan: "For peace and freedom!" The party actively opposes the war, demanding a ceasefire.

Official website: yabloko.ru.

• Current status and 2026 elections

The party is currently under significant political and legal pressure from government agencies.
Single-mandate constituencies and regions: Yabloko candidates can participate in State Duma elections only in certain single-mandate constituencies. Meanwhile, electoral commissions and courts continue to massively remove Yabloko candidates and regional party lists from local legislative assembly elections across the country (including St. Petersburg, Karelia, Tatarstan, and other regions). Yabloko's internal party structure is notable in that it is the only major Russian party with officially established thematic internal factions: Green Russia—the environmental wing; the Human Rights Faction—supports political prisoners and combats torture; the Gender Faction—protects women's rights and combats discrimination; and the Social Democratic Faction—protects labor rights.

A Just Russia – Patriots – For Truth (SRZP) is an officially registered parliamentary political party in the Russian Federation that adheres to the ideology of patriotic socialism and left-wing conservatism.

The main thing about the party

Party leader: *The permanent chairman is Sergei Mikhailovich Mironov.

• Date of foundation: *The party was founded on October 28, 2006, when three parties merged: Rodina, the Russian Party of Life, and the Russian Party of Pensioners. In February 2021, a large-scale merger with the Patriots of Russia and For Truth parties of Zakhar Prilepin took place, which led to the emergence of the current extended name.

• Position in power: *As of 2026, the party forms the third largest faction in the State Duma of the VIII convocation, occupying 28 deputy seats out of 450.

• Official symbols: *The party emblem is a yellow and burgundy combination with an image of an arrow and the monogram "SR".

Main program theses

The party positions itself as an expression of the interests of the "working man" and offers an alternative left agenda:

• Social sphere: *Demands annual payments to families with children by September 1, an increase in pensions to a level of at least 40% of the average wage, mandatory indexation of wages and a credit amnesty for certain categories of citizens.

• Economy and taxes: *Proposes the introduction of a progressive tax on personal income (for the super-rich), a reduction and unification of VAT to 13%, as well as a transition from a raw materials-based economic model to an innovative one.

• Migration policy: Actively advocates for stricter controls on the entry of migrant workers.

Current status and international sanctions

The party fully supports the Russian leadership's foreign policy. Because of this position, it was expelled from the International Alliance of Social Democratic Parties (Society for International Socialists) in March 2022, and added to the European Union's sanctions list in December 2022.

The All-Russian Political Party "Rodina" *is a registered right-wing populist and national-patriotic political force in Russia.

Basic information

Founded: September 14, 2003 (as an electoral bloc, transformed into a party in 2004).

Party leader: Alexey Zhuravlev, chairman since 2012.

Notable founders: Dmitry Rogozin, Sergey Glazyev, Sergey Baburin and others.

Official website: rodina.ru

Ideology and position

Direction: national patriotism, conservatism, legal populism.

Position: The party supports the decisions of the Russian leadership, including the conduct of a special military operation, and puts forward statist and militaristic initiatives.

Participation in elections

The party actively participates in regional and federal elections in Russia. In elections to the State Duma, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation registers party lists and candidates in single-mandate constituencies. At various times, party representatives entered parliament both on party lists and in single-mandate constituencies.

Links

• Wikipedia
  RUWIKI

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Party initiatives

On November 12, 2024, Alexey Zhuravlev proposed including volunteer service as compulsory military service.

The Beer Lovers' Party (PLP) is a political party in Russia, founded in December 1993 by two renowned political scientists: Konstantin Kalachev and Dmitry Shestakov. On August 9, 1994, it was officially registered by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.

Milestones in the history of the party

Slogans and mottos

The PLP's most memorable slogan was: "Everyone has the right to drink beer, just as everyone has the right not to." Another popular slogan was: "Not the worst party! An excellent party! A party unlike any other!"

Ideology

The party positioned itself as an association of people with moderate views. It advocated for the priority of individual interests, reduced taxes on beer production and import duties, and civil liberties.

Internal structure

Within the organization there were humorous factions: “light beer lovers,” “dark beer lovers,” “the non-drinking faction,” and “kvass patriots.”

Participation in elections

In the 1995 State Duma elections, the PLP garnered 0.62% of the vote (approximately 427,000 people) and failed to overcome the 5% threshold. In the 1996 presidential election, the group supported Boris Yeltsin.

Liquidation

In 1998, due to failure to submit documents for re-registration, the party ceased to exist.