“Political tinder”: United Democrats bring back competetive elections in Russia
United Democrats’ mission is to bring back real politics to Russia. There is no real competition in the regional and federal elections. Those who actively want to change something in their communities, can only do so at the municipal level. Therefore, the project supports competitive elections at the municipal level. At times, the United Democrats are amusingly labelled as “political tinder”. Thanks to the project, independent candidates and deputies from different regions have got to know each other and share their experiences.
In 2020 the project is working mainly in four regions: Tatarstan, Novogorod, Ivanovo and Vladimir. As a result, 501 independent candidates have been registered there. The team works with both self-nominated candidates, as well as candidates from the opposition parties. Not a single political party has enough candidates to stand in even 1% of the seats in the upcoming municipal elections.
Municipal elections are all about the legwork of the candidates, therefore during the campaign, United Democrats will only provide help in campaign design and practical support.
This year, due to the pandemic, the school of the municipal deputy, which was initiated in February, had to be taken online. The schools invited acting deputies, techs and lawyers, to advise candidates in running their own campaign. In total, they gave more than 50 lectures.
United Democrats promote the concept of openness of the municipality, and candidates, if elected, are encoraged to constantly interact with local residents, by inviting them to council meetings, and help implement initiatives important for local communities.
After the election, candidates are free to remain independent. Political competition is an important aspect for the development of society.
You can follow the project on social media (in Russian) here:
