Let's start with what primaries are. This is a preliminary vote in the United Russia party, the selection of candidates by voting by the population. Those who pass this selection will be able to win a CAR!

Okay, not a car, of course, but they will be on the party lists for the elections on September 18, 2016, when deputies to the State Duma of the seventh convocation will be elected throughout the country, which is also very cool. And given that United Russia is still leading in public opinion polls, the chances of getting into the State Duma for such lucky people are very high.

True, the voting procedure is slightly different from the usual elections (for example, in the State Duma or the presidency). Thus, early, home-based voting will not be organized. You will be able to vote at your polling station only if you present your passport.

This year, for the first time since 2003, we are electing deputies using a mixed system: 225 from single-mandate constituencies, 225 from party lists. In districts, parties need to nominate one candidate each, but with a list everything is a little more complicated. You can choose one candidate or more than one.

Almost all Russian parties decide this behind the scenes - a pre-prepared list is submitted to the pre-election congress, and the delegates approve it. "United Russia" decided that things can't be done that way and gave the rights of choice to citizens, so don't forget to use it!

Everyone can participate! Okay, not all, but only a select few. Both party members and non-party members are allowed to participate in the United Russia primaries. But not to members of other parties. Of course, some “especially smart” individuals tried to take advantage of this opportunity. Of course, getting into the State Duma on the ED list is much easier than, for example, without party support.

Some guys who were previously members of other parties decided to try their luck here. For example, former LDPR member, State Duma deputy Roman Khudyakov and senator Anton Belyakov, who left A Just Russia. United Russia has already removed politician Nikita Isaev from the debate, who was part of the leadership of the Rodina party, although he was not a member of it. You can also find many well-known “non-politicians” on these lists.

Speaking of safety. For the May primaries, a special electronic system will be installed to prevent voters from voting twice. Each participant will be registered by passport number at the entrance. The numbers will be stored in a database. If the passport holder has already voted, the system will detect and show this.

So, don't forget to exercise your right to choose and go to the site. After all, it is we who need to determine who will sit in the Duma in 2016.

a preliminary vote before the main election, which is held within one party in order to determine the opinion of the electorate and select the one most popular candidate for the upcoming election

Information about the term primaries, definition of primaries and etymology of the word primaries, history of primaries and how the system of primaries began, holding primaries in different countries, including primaries in the USA, primaries in Europe and primaries in Russia, summing up the primaries, positive and negative aspects primaries, the role of primaries in elections

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Primary is the definition

Primary is preliminary voting, usually within one party. Primaries are held in order to identify the most popular party candidates among the electorate for the main elections to any body. The purpose of the primaries is to identify a single candidate and prevent a split of votes between party members in the main elections. Primaries were established in and have been held there for about 150 years.

Primary is a type of voting in which a single candidate is selected from. Regular voting then takes place between the selected candidates. The point of primaries is to ensure that candidates from the same party do not “take away” votes from each other in the main elections, since their electorates are usually close. Those who lose in the primaries sometimes still run in the main elections, but as independent candidates, without the support of their party.

Primary is preliminary internal party elections with the aim of nominating the strongest and most popular candidates for the main elections. The word Primary means “preliminary”.

Primary is intra-party elections that allow voters to participate in the selection of candidates.

Primary is in the USA - preliminary (primary) elections, during which candidates for deputies of central and local representative institutions, candidates for other elective positions, national party delegates, members of party committees of the Democratic and Republican parties are nominated.

Primary is a procedure for identifying the opinions of supporters of democratic values, aimed at forming a list that is best able to ensure political representation of people with our views.

Primary is a type of voting during which a single candidate from a political party is selected to represent it in elections to any body. Later, these candidates are nominated for municipal elections. The purpose of primaries is to prevent a split in the votes of candidates of the same party. Of course, the loser of the primaries can still run in the elections, but his political party will not support it.

Primary is the primary meeting of voters to nominate candidates for elected office, as well as the voting itself at such meetings.

Primary is a type of primary voting in which one candidate from each party is selected. The essence of primaries is to ensure that candidates from the same party do not take away votes from each other in the main elections, since their electorate is generally very close.

Primary is The primary election in the United States by which the candidates of the Democratic and Republican parties are determined for elections of all bodies.

Primary is in the United States, primary meetings of voters to nominate candidates for elected office, as well as the voting process itself at such meetings.

Etymology of the term "primaries"

However, in the late 19th century, the American public began to show growing dissatisfaction with behind-the-scenes political games directly related to corruption. One of the results of this process was the organization of direct elections in the United States (until 1913, state legislatures were elected).

The primaries were intended to continue the policy of power of party apparatchiks and politicians. The first state to adopt primaries was Wisconsin. The initiator of this was Governor Robert La Follette, who in 1904 participated in the Republican Party convention. He was infuriated when he saw how the party leaders carried out their line with all their might, virtually ignoring the opinion of the majority of delegates.

As a result, on La Follette's initiative, a law was passed that allowed party members in his state to directly elect delegates to party congresses. The next step came in 1910, when Oregon passed its primary law. The law provided that party members had the right to choose politicians who would represent their interests at the federal level.

In 1913, President Woodrow Wilson included a point about the need for a system of primaries in the main presidential speech of the year - the State of the Union. During the 1916 presidential election, 25 of the 48 US states used a primary system.

However, subsequently the primaries lost their attractiveness. There were several reasons for this. After the end of World War I, Americans lost interest in political reform. The primaries turned out to be quite an expensive event, with a relatively small number of people participating. As a result, politicians no longer perceive primaries as a necessary step on the way to .

In 1920, a significant event occurred: at the Republican Party convention, delegates could not choose a presidential candidate. As a result, the party apparatus proposed, and the congress approved, the candidacy of Warren Harding, who did not take part in any of the primaries. Harding eventually became president. From 1917 to 1934, 8 US states abandoned primaries and only one state (Alabama) established them.

In subsequent decades, primaries took place, but, in most cases, they were a simple formality, a kind of tradition. Until the 1960s, a US presidential candidate could become the only candidate of his party without ever winning a primary. To do this, it was enough for him to enlist the support of the party apparatus at the state level. Since the late 1970s, the situation has changed dramatically - a second primary took place.

Until the 1970s, party elites assessed candidates based on a number of fairly simple criteria. They were interested in politicians who could successfully run an election campaign and win it: charismatic individuals with administrative experience. The ideal candidates for the party nomination were governors of large states such as Ohio, California, Illinois or New York.

At the same time, a politician’s ability to attract donations was not considered a particularly important criterion. Raising funds was the responsibility of party officials; usually the party machine could, without any problems, raise the necessary funds and “promote” a presidential candidate.

The 1960s turned out to be very difficult for the United States and made many changes in the practice of big politics. This was the era of the struggle for civil rights of black Americans and the era of the Vietnam War. Changes in public sentiment made the primaries incredibly important and, in fact, resuscitated this institution.

Among other things, primaries are a tool with which ordinary party members try to limit the influence of party bosses and apparatchiks, who have much greater ability to promote the candidate they want. The primaries made politicians understand that the party itself is important to them, and not its “cream” - the participants in the party congress, which officially announces the name of the candidate for president of the country.

Because of this, the approach to assessing the personality of presidential candidates has also changed. Since the 1970s, they must be able to independently raise funds for their campaigns. They should talk less about foreign policy (according to American tradition, such conversations are the preserve of the elite), and more about domestic policy, about the pressing problems of ordinary party members.

It is the responsibility of a presidential candidate to convince the contestants that he takes their needs and aspirations to heart. Politicians have also been forced to learn how to work better with the press and with advertising.

However, the primaries acquired some unpleasant features. The fate of the candidates is determined in the first 3-5 primaries; the remaining 45-47 party elections taking place in other states attract much less attention and actually decide nothing. Because of this, many presidential candidates simply do not attend the “late” primaries, preferring, for example, a demonstrative trip to a football match or rally.

Types of primaries

In the American party-electoral system, there are several types of primaries, which are enshrined in. So, depending on the state, there are closed and open primaries; both types have numerous variations.

Closed primaries

In closed elections, only Republican voters can participate in nominating Republican candidates, and only Democratic voters can participate in nominating Democratic candidates. However, since primaries are usually held in the same polling places as the main elections, it is difficult to determine the party affiliation of each voter.

Usually, so-called “recruitment” is used for this. There are several different types:

At the time of registration, people name the party they intend to join in the primaries, and they can only change their affiliation at the next registration;

Sometimes recruitment may take place at the entrance to the polling station, where the ballot of the party of choice is received; if you want to change your party orientation at the next “primaries”, you need to obtain a certificate certified by the court clerk a certain time before the election - the period, depending on the state, ranges from six months to ten days.

Some states have the practice of conducting party loyalty tests, commonly referred to as "requests," in which a voter requests a party-specific ballot upon entering a polling place. Before it is presented, the voter is asked to make a statement that he supported the party's candidates in the last election and will support them in the next one.

Some Southern states even require a personal declaration of support for the party's primary candidate in order to insure against independents. Closed primaries thus imply that voters express a party preference; here we are talking more about the nomination of candidates by sympathizers rather than by ordinary voters.

Recruitment and the subsequent “inquiry” are in many ways reminiscent of the European mechanism for joining the party; However, there is a lack of regular contributions and especially the participation of members in the life of the party, in establishing the party hierarchy and nominating leaders. Both of these procedures are valid only for primaries and are intended solely for elections.

Open primaries

But all this takes place only in closed primaries. In the open, the secret of the political preferences of each voter is preserved: affiliation with the party is not openly manifested in any way. At the polling station entrance, voters receive two ballots, one from each party; each ballot contains a list of party candidates; the voter indicates the candidates he prefers, but he has the right to use only one ballot.

Or each voter receives one ballot with two separate columns for each party: he can only use one column or the vote will be invalid.

At the moment, in the American party electoral system, in addition to the generally accepted closed and open primaries, there are several more types.

Semi-open primaries

The gist of them is that registered voters should not publicly announce which political party they will vote for in the primaries before entering the voting booth. When voters participate in the election of officials, they must request a party-specific ballot. Each voter is given one ballot.

In other states, a candidate is required to submit a certain number of signatures from fellow party members supporting his candidacy - in Tennessee, it is enough to collect 25 signatures.

US primaries 2008

Maine requires 2,000 signatures, all of which must be registered party members who reside in the same city or county.

Summing up the results of the US primaries

New York State requires at least 15,000 signatures, or at least 5% of registered party members, with at least 5% of those signatures coming from half of the state's congressional districts.

In some US states - for example, in Colorado and Connecticut - local party organizations hold special conventions at which they determine the list of politicians who can be allowed to participate in the primaries.

Candidate's victory in the primaries

Again, conditions vary from state to state. For example, in Utah, if a candidate receives 70% or more of the vote at the convention, there may be no primaries because the party endorses that politician.

In the states of Delaware, North Dakota and Rhode Island, the party convention automatically gives the go-ahead to all candidates nominated by local party structures to participate in the primaries.

Preparing for the primaries

An even more curious system has existed in the state of Louisiana since 1978 - both Republicans and Democrats participate in the primaries there. Moreover, absolutely all US citizens living in Louisiana can take part in the elections.

11 US states do not hold primaries, but caucuses (caucus) - a party meeting or (the word “caucus” comes from one of the Indian languages ​​and originally meant a situation when “people get together and make a lot of noise”).

Progress of the primaries in 2012

The system for determining the caucus winner is quite simple. Registered members of a particular party (in the United States, official pre-registration of voters indicating the name of the party they support) gathers in a public building or in the home of a party activist. Delegates supporting one candidate or another gather together in one corner.

For a support group to be considered valid, its size must be at least 15% of the number of meeting participants. Members of groups that do not pass the 15% threshold must make a different choice. Then the votes are counted, and the data is transmitted first to the party election committee at the county level, where they are summarized, then to the electoral district committee, then to the state level, where the winners are determined.

Primaries are held before elections at all levels and are “open” (where each participant in the election can vote freely), “closed”, where the number of voters is limited in various ways, and “general”.

This system is considered the most advanced form of "open" primaries and is used only in California - the names of all politicians from all parties are entered on one ballot. A voter can only vote in support of one candidate vying for one position.

For example, during the primaries, the candidacies of politicians intending to become US President, US Senator, US Congressman, State Senator and State Congressman are discussed. A voter can mark one Republican running for president, one Democrat running for the U.S. Senate, and so on. - to the end of the list.

Super Tuesday US primaries

US practice shows that if a party is strong and united, it usually chooses a “closed” system, and if a party is weak, amorphous and in opposition, it chooses an open one. Various mixed voting systems and multi-stage schemes for determining party proteges are also used.

For example, in the northern states of the United States there is a tradition of supporting the candidate who receives an arithmetic majority of votes. In southern states, the vote gap between the winner and his closest competitors is assessed.

US primaries stage

Sometimes a majoritarian counting system is used - the winner of the primaries must receive at least 50% plus one vote. If the margin of votes is small, then a second round of primaries is held, where party members choose one of the two candidates who took first place.

In any case, the presidential candidate has to operate in very difficult conditions. He (or rather his assistants) must know how primaries are conducted in 50 states, since there are no national rules and regulations. For example, in some states there are special laws establishing the procedure for holding party elections, in others everything is left to the party structures.

In addition to state primaries, similar events are held in other US territories that do not have state status. For example, the Federal District, on whose territory the US capital Washington is located, has a special legal status, as do, for example, American Samoa, Guam, etc. However, these primaries do not have much influence on the balance of power.

What is a caucus?

The winner of the primaries receives support from the entire party, which guarantees that the politician is responsible. If a certain politician has not received the support of fellow party members, he can run for elections on his own, but as an independent candidate.

Sometimes primaries are canceled so as not to deplete the party's coffers, since they are quite an expensive undertaking. Typically, most primaries are held in May, June and September (presidential elections are always held on the first Monday in November).

The most famous and important in the presidential race are the first primaries, which have been held in the state of New Hampshire since 1952. It is believed that the leader of the future presidential race (more precisely, the favorite of one or another party) is identified with a high percentage of them.

Mitt Romney's victory in the primaries

The institution of primaries-caucuses has not only supporters, but also critics. Critics say politicians spend more time networking behind the scenes and shaking hundreds of delegates' hands. That is, the politician’s priority becomes finding consensus with fellow party members, and not with ordinary voters.

The culmination of the series of primaries is the Party Convention (party congress), at which the party’s support for a particular candidate is officially announced. After this, the election campaign enters a new phase: the politician officially begins to fight not only for the votes of fellow party members and sympathizers, but also for the votes of all US citizens.

US Republican primaries

Battles for the calendar in the US primaries

Party organizations and state governments are trying to move their primaries to earlier dates. In total, 20 states have made or intend to make similar decisions. The headquarters of the Republican and Democratic parties are desperately trying to stop this process, which can unpredictably affect the course and results of the presidential election.

The Democratic and Republican parties have asked their state-level divisions to choose any date after February 5th. Until February 5, Democrats are holding primaries in only four states - Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

New Hampshire primaries in 2012

To sway dissidents, the Democratic National Committee threatened to bar delegates from that state from the party's August 2008 convention. This will deprive troublemakers of the opportunity to participate in the election of a single presidential candidate from their party.

He also allowed Nevada to move its primaries earlier, but that did not solve the problem. The Republican National Committee promises to use no less harsh methods of influence. But the states are going their own way.

The first sign that showed that national party discipline was lame was the decision of the Florida Democrats. In previous election cycles in Florida, the Democratic primary was held in March. By this time, the balance of power in the election race was already clear, and the results of the Florida elections were turning into an empty formality. This categorically did not suit Florida.

Intermediate results of primaries

In the case of Florida, the matter was complicated by the fact that this state is a “key” state; there is no clear advantage of any one party (some US states traditionally support only Republicans or only Democrats), therefore, the voting results here can seriously influence the outcome of the elections. A classic example of this is the 2000 election, when it was in Florida that it was determined who would become president - George Bush or Al Gore.

The final votes are traditionally nothing more than a formality - no surprises are expected at them, the results of the conventions are predetermined by the results of the primaries. Consequently, participation or non-participation in conventions can be considered of little importance.

At the same time, the early primaries in Florida will attract increased attention to this state - both from the public and the media, and from the presidential candidates themselves (in 2004, it was calculated that the progress and results of the first two primaries - in Iowa and New Hampshire - The US press published as much material as about all the other 48 primaries). As a result, Florida will gain additional political weight.

New Hampshire primaries

A real “chain reaction” of postponing the primaries has begun in the United States. The logic here is as follows. Florida belongs to the “southern” states of the USA. But US political tradition says that the first “southern” primaries take place in South Carolina.

After Florida Democrats began talking about moving their primaries to January 29 (a bill to that effect was signed into law by the state's governor in late May 2007), South Carolina said it would move its primaries to January 19.

Then the process gained momentum - on August 31, the governor of Michigan signed a law according to which primaries in Michigan will be held on January 15. This caused panic in New Hampshire, which has a clause in its legislation that this state holds the first primaries in the United States, a week earlier than any other state. Consequently, New Hampshire, which originally planned to hold its primaries on January 22, will push them back to at least January 8th.

Romney wins Florida primary

Similar steps can be expected from Iowa, where, according to its legislation, party elections (in this case, the caucus) are also held 8 days earlier than the nearest competing state. The Iowa caucus was originally scheduled to take place on January 14th, but with Michigan now holding its primary on the 15th, Iowa must revise the schedule and move up to at least January 7th.

If New Hampshire moves to January 8, Iowa would have to caucus on New Year's Eve or December 2007. No primaries have ever been organized in December.

Some other states also moved their primaries, dissatisfied with the fact that their influence in the sphere of political struggle has unjustifiably decreased. The fact is that the more populous and richer the state, the more votes it can bring to the presidential candidate’s bank.

Trump is set to win the primaries

However, these states have traditionally held primaries later than others, usually in May or June, when the leaders in the race have already been determined. The earliest primaries were held in the sparsely populated "agricultural" states of the United States.

Consequently, the “Davids” (for example, the “dwarf” state of New Hampshire) outplay the “goliaths” (for example, New York), which does not suit the “goliaths”, since they lose the opportunity to directly negotiate with candidates and exchange their support for specific promises .

As a result, the “Goliath” states of California and New York moved their primaries from June to February 5, 2008. Thanks to this, a new concept “Tsunami Tuesday” has entered the US political lexicon, since a total of 8 states will hold primaries on this day.

New York Mayoral Primary

This is not the first case of this kind. For several election cycles, 21 states in the country (mostly in the South) since 1988 have held primaries on the same day (called “Super Tuesday” because it is traditionally set on the second Tuesday in March).

Attempts to move primary elections to an earlier date are far from a new phenomenon in American politics. Over the course of three decades, the dates of primaries have gradually shifted to earlier and earlier dates. However, now the initiatives of the divisive states create a situation of uncertainty, because no one can say when the process of selecting candidates for US President will actually start.

The fact is that the system of primaries that had developed over decades somehow outlined the timing of the election race. Now the situation is changing unpredictably. The fight for the White House this political season started unusually early - six months earlier than usual. The US presidential elections will take place on November 4. Postponing the primaries to an earlier date could lead to the fact that the election campaign will not last 8-12 months, as usual, but will drag on for another 2-3 months.

This would put a lot of things at risk: for example, it would be able to weed out less wealthy and popular politicians who simply do not have enough funds to conduct an unusually long election campaign.

US election debates

Voting in the states lasts from January to June, however, as a rule, a winner is identified already in the middle of this period. However, it is theoretically possible that by the end of the primary elections there is no single candidate identified: then the vote at the national convention plays a decisive role. However, a similar situation has not arisen since the 1970s.

The results of the primary vote can be either binding or “advisory.” If in the first case the elected delegates are obliged to cast their vote at the national convention to a certain candidate, then in the second they can make their own decision, and the preferences expressed by voters have only an advisory value for the delegate.

The outcome of primaries and caucuses can be determined in a variety of ways. Democrats are always governed by the proportional principle: the shares of state delegates representing different candidates correspond to the shares of the votes received by those candidates. Republicans give states the right to decide which principle to use: proportional or majoritarian. In the second case, all delegates from a state support the candidate who receives the most votes in that state.

US Democratic presidential primaries, 1992

The 1992 United States Democratic Party primary was the process by which members of the United States Democratic Party selected a presidential candidate for the 1992 election. Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton was elected as the party's candidate after a series of primaries and caucuses, ending with the Party's convention, held from July 13 to 16, 1992 in New York.

For some time after the end of the American War, President Bush's approval ratings were extremely high. At one time, after the successful actions of American troops in Kuwait, Bush's rating was 89%.

As a result, several major candidates, like Mario Cuomo, declined the Democratic presidential nomination. Senator (later Vice President) Al Gore declined to run because his son was shot down and endured emergency surgery and physical therapy.

Democrats lacked a signature candidate to take on the Republican incumbent. Yet several candidates, such as Bill Clinton, Paul Tsongas and Jerry Brown, decided to enter the race.

The current PD primaries fell on Sunday, when it is customary to buy Christmas gifts in Italy. However, yesterday lines lined up not at stores, but at polling stations, where 3 million people registered. Such activity by center-left voters, who have shown disappointment in politics in recent years, will only add points to the new party leader, Matteo Renzi, who is ahead of the other two candidates for this post by a huge margin.

By the standards of Italian politics, the 38-year-old mayor of Florence is considered a young politician, and he has only been in the party since 2007. This kind of trust is all the more important for him: Renzi set his sights on deep transformations in the party, which has been experiencing self-identification in recent years. However, how far the new PD leader will be able to go in party reforms is not yet clear.

Although officially Mr. Renzi still supported the policy of “premier for the hour” Pier Luigi Bersani and the current prime minister Enrico Letta, Renzi never hid that he considered many steps of the coalition government of the center-right and left to be harmful both for the party and for the whole of Italy. However, within the party apparatus, the new leader, who advocates a change of generations and challenged the old party member Bersani during last year’s primaries, is not very popular. Political views of Matteo Renzi

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Against the backdrop of the elections, many began to worry about the question of what primaries are. This concept is often used in relation to the formation of government, particularly when it comes to the United States of America. It is worth understanding this issue and its manifestation in Russian-speaking countries.

What are primaries?

To begin with, it is worth turning to the origin of this concept. It is interesting that, contrary to popular belief, the emphasis is on the letter “a”. The fact is that the word is borrowed from the English language, where it is derived from the term “ primary" This is a polysemantic word that can be either an adjective or a noun. If there is an adjective, then the translation will be “primary”, “preliminary” or “main”. When a noun is used, it means “ primaries».

This is precisely the answer to the question of what primaries mean. These are elections held within a party to select the strongest candidate. He will subsequently be nominated by the party for the main elections. Although this is practically not developed in Russia, in America, for example, primaries are considered a very bright event, one of the key ones for the entire election race.

History of primaries

Due to the fact that the word is borrowed from the English language, it is not difficult to guess that the primary elections began their history in the United States of America. The first primaries were held in the mid-nineteenth century, in 1842. It took about sixty years before Wisconsin was the first to recognize the need to legalize this process.

After this, thirty years were enough for every state in America to introduce law on mandatory primaries, although some later abandoned this decision. Previously, candidates for elections were determined through party meetings, often through behind-the-scenes negotiations. After 1927 this procedure became generally accepted.

Today, primaries can take place through open or closed voting - in the latter case, the decision is made within the party. There are also intermediate options that appear when two people are close enough to each other as a result of the primary elections. In such a situation, a second round is held.

The results of primaries are calculated in different ways. Some use multi-stage schemes, others choose the winner by arithmetic majority. Some states pay close attention to the vote gap. Finally, there are 11 states that have decided to hold referendums called caucuses instead of primaries.

The meaning of primaries in Russia

Primary in Russian – what is it? To begin with, it is worth keeping in mind that in Russian this word is used in the plural and is not declined. According to its essence, holding primaries means choose a candidate within the party. On Russian territory, United Russia twice tried to hold some kind of analogue of such primary elections.

Both times the Russian primaries were heavily criticized because they very little in common with its original meaning– the use of the term was simply incorrect. If in the United States the primary elections made it possible to exclude competition between representatives of one party, then in Russia this does not apply. “United Russia”, for one reason or another, has practically no competitors, and therefore, if competition among themselves is eliminated, there will be none left at all.

In this regard, some prefer to call Russian democracy imitative, and this same adjective is related to what primaries are in Russian.

On February 15, United Russia launched nominations for participation in the preliminary voting (primaries) to select candidates for elections to the State Duma. The primaries themselves took place across the country on May 22.

What are primaries?

• Primaries (from the English primaries - primary) - preliminary internal party selection of candidates for their further participation in the “main” elections. A similar procedure is common in the United States (details about how primaries are structured in the United States can be found in a special TASS project). Experts note that preliminary voting in the Russian Federation and primaries in the United States are different mechanisms.

Why are primaries needed?

• This practice is intended to improve the “quality” composition of candidates, as well as to find potentially promising nominees, whom other parties can apply for, especially in the fight for single-mandate districts.
• Preliminary voting gives the party the opportunity to significantly update the personnel of the deputy corps - including at the expense of non-party people who also have the opportunity to nominate their candidacy.
• United Russia believes that preliminary voting is not only more democratic, but also more effective than other selection mechanisms (when candidates, for example, are determined behind the scenes, in the offices of party functionaries).

Who was the first to use the preliminary voting procedure in the Russian Federation?

• The first Russian party to apply a similar procedure was United Russia. Since 2009, preliminary voting has been mandatory for the party; this norm is enshrined in its charter.
• This year, nominations for the United Russia primaries started on February 15 and ended on April 10, and registration closed on April 15.

How did the United Russia primaries go?

• According to the provision on preliminary voting, approved in early February at the party congress, either members of United Russia or non-party members who had no criminal record (even expunged or expunged) and who did not have accounts or other financial instruments abroad could take part in the primaries.
• The primaries were secret and ranked. This means that each voter can vote not for one candidate, but for several on each list. The party leadership hopes that this will help identify leaders of public opinion.
• To conduct the preliminary voting, a federal organizing committee was created, as well as 85 regional ones, which included the heads of regional executive committees of United Russia. About a third of their members are representatives of public associations, the media, and public opinion leaders.

What are the results of the United Russia primaries?

• 2,781 candidates took part in the primaries: 1,171 people were nominated according to party lists, and 2,107 people were nominated in single-mandate constituencies. Almost half of all candidates were non-partisan.
• 960 participants in the preliminary voting work in the field of entrepreneurship, 199 in the field of healthcare, 182 in the field of education, 829 participants are deputies of all levels, from municipalities to the State Duma. The full list of participants in the preliminary voting can be viewed on the United Russia website.
• The turnout at the preliminary voting exceeded 10.5 million people - 9.6% of all Russian voters, said Sergei Neverov, secretary of the General Council of United Russia. In 74 of the 225 single-mandate constituencies, incumbent State Duma deputies won; in the 151st constituency, “completely new faces in the constituencies” won.
• A list of single-mandate candidates and regional lists of the most popular candidates who, with the support of the party, will go to the elections of State Duma deputies, will be prepared for the United Russia pre-election party congress scheduled for June.

What does the Russian President say about the primaries system in the Russian Federation?

• Vladimir Putin expressed the opinion that the primaries will reveal the real problems of citizens and those who are able to solve them. Speaking at the media forum of the All-Russian Popular Front in St. Petersburg, the head of state stated that preliminary voting makes the life of the party “more transparent, closer to the people.” “Party functionaries must feel what is happening in society; in the course of such open discussions and disputes, the real problems that people face are revealed,” the president emphasized.

What do Russian politicians think about the primaries?

• Holding primaries will make it possible to attract new people to the work of United Russia, believes the chairman of the party, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev. “Of course, this (primary) is such an interesting international institution, but this is the first time we are using it, and United Russia did this deliberately so that as many new citizens of our country as possible would join the party,” Medvedev said.
• State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin considers primaries a form of support for people who decide to enter politics. He also added that he does not like the word "primaries", preferring the term "preliminary party vote".
• Conducting preliminary voting is important for building a dialogue with voters before the start of the election campaign, for candidates to understand the issues that concern people. This opinion was expressed by the first deputy head of the Russian Presidential Administration Vyacheslav Volodin. “The competitive, open model of preliminary voting allows us to reach the majority of voters who are actively interested in politics and are going to go to the polls in the fall. If the primaries are carried out effectively, they are a real promotion of candidates before the elections,” emphasized the first deputy head of the presidential administration of the Russian Federation. According to Volodin, “preliminary voting is very important for building a dialogue with people at the stage before the start of the election campaign, for candidates from the party to understand the agenda, the issues that concern people, and building the personnel lineup.”

Are there those who oppose the primaries?

• “Primaries are held out of gluttony, to appease one’s appetite. Our primaries are the work of the party every day, which we carry out,” said LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky. According to Zhirinovsky, United Russia is holding a preliminary vote due to the excess of people in the party. “They don’t know people, how can they get 225 candidates out of 2 million people (in single-mandate constituencies)... But we have a party of 250 thousand people, we can easily find 225, we know them,” the politician emphasized.
• The leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov said that “primaries do not completely decide anything - money and big capital decide there.” He called the candidate selection system of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation the most democratic in Russia: “We (communists) propose every candidate from below.”

What do experts think about the primaries system in the Russian Federation?

• “The preliminary voting of United Russia gives a serious impetus to the entire electoral process, and it is possible that the principles of openness, competitiveness and legitimacy will extend to other parties,” said Leonid Polyakov, head of the department of general political science at the Higher School of Economics. "United Russia" changed the format of preparation for the Duma elections, going to the public and open formation of lists and candidates for single-mandate constituencies, and thus the principle of competition is "fully respected," the political scientist is sure.
• “The peculiarity of this mechanism (primaries), in addition to the fact that it works in the interests of United Russia, and this is absolutely clear, is that voters also benefit from the use of this mechanism,” -. He explained that in this case the voter gets the opportunity to get to know the candidates “in advance, and he goes to the elections more competent and better prepared.” According to the political scientist, primaries “can only be afforded by a very strong party, confident that the mechanism of primaries will encourage regional organizations through inevitable conflicts and clashes to regroup and reconfigure so that the party’s main political resource in elections becomes voter support.”

Did anyone else hold primaries before the State Duma elections?

• The primaries were also carried out by the so-called Democratic Coalition, created on the basis of the PARNAS party. However, by mid-April it became clear that interest in the PARNAS primaries was low not only among candidates, who had to pay a 20 thousand ruble registration fee, but also among voters.

On February 15, United Russia launched nominations for participation in the preliminary voting (primaries) to select candidates for elections to the State Duma and the Moscow Regional Duma. The preliminary voting itself will take place across the country on May 22.

What are primaries?

Primaries (from the English primaries - primary) - preliminary internal party selection of candidates for their further participation in the “main” elections. A similar procedure is common in the USA. Experts note that preliminary voting in the Russian Federation and primaries in the United States are different mechanisms.

Why are primaries necessary?

This practice is intended to improve the “quality” composition of candidates, as well as to find potentially promising nominees, whom other parties can apply for, especially in the fight for single-mandate districts.

Who was the first to use the preliminary voting procedure in the Russian Federation?

The first Russian party to apply a similar procedure was United Russia. Since 2009, preliminary voting has been mandatory for the party; this norm is enshrined in its charter.

This year, nomination for the United Russia PG started on February 15 and ended on April 10, and registration closed on April 15.

How will the United Russia primary elections take place?

As follows from the Regulations on the conduct of preliminary voting, approved in early February at the Party Congress, either members of United Russia or non-party members who do not have a criminal record (even expunged or expunged), who do not have accounts and other financial instruments for abroad.

The primary elections will be secret and ranked. This means that each voter will be able to vote not for one candidate, but for several in each list. The party leadership hopes that this will help identify leaders of public opinion.

To conduct the preliminary voting, a federal organizing committee was created, as well as 85 regional ones, which included the heads of regional executive committees of United Russia. About a third of their members are representatives of public associations, the media, and public opinion leaders.

Is it known who will take part in the preliminary vote?

At the moment, 2,919 candidates across the country are participating in the preliminary voting for nomination to the State Duma. Of these, 202 are in the Moscow region. 676 people applied to the Moscow Regional Duma to participate in the preliminary voting and were registered.

In addition to many current State Duma deputies from United Russia, representatives of creative professions also participate in the PG. For example, TV presenter Pyotr Tolstoy, actress Anna Snatkina (series “Moscow Saga”, “Yesenin”, “Plot”, “Tatiana’s Day”) and film director Yuri Kara (“Tomorrow there was a war”, “The Master and Margarita”).

The full list of participants in the preliminary voting can be viewed on the websites pg.er.ru (State Duma) and the website (State Duma for the Moscow Region and Moscow Regional Duma).

What does the Russian President say about the preliminary voting system in the Russian Federation?

Vladimir Putin expressed the opinion that the primaries will reveal the real problems of citizens and those who are able to solve them. Speaking at the media forum of the All-Russian Popular Front in St. Petersburg, the head of state stated that preliminary voting makes the life of the party “more transparent, closer to the people.” “Party functionaries must feel what is happening in society; in the course of such open discussions and disputes, the real problems that people face are revealed,” the president emphasized.

What do Russian politicians think about preliminary voting?

Holding the PG will make it possible to attract new people to the work of United Russia, says party chairman and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. “Of course, this (primary) is such an interesting international institution, but this is the first time we are using it, and United Russia did this deliberately so that as many new citizens of our country as possible would join the party,” Medvedev said.

State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin considers preliminary voting a form of support for people who decide to enter politics. He also added that he does not like the word "primaries", preferring the term "preliminary party vote".

Conducting preliminary voting is important for building a dialogue with voters before the start of the election campaign, for candidates to understand the issues that concern people. This opinion was expressed by the first deputy head of the presidential administration of the Russian Federation, Vyacheslav Volodin. “The competitive, open model of preliminary voting allows us to reach the majority of voters who are actively interested in politics and are going to go to the polls in the fall. If the primaries are carried out effectively, they are a real promotion of candidates before the elections,” emphasized the first deputy head of the presidential administration of the Russian Federation. According to Volodin, “preliminary voting is very important for building a dialogue with people at the stage before the start of the election campaign, for candidates from the party to understand the agenda, the issues that concern people, and building the personnel lineup.”

Are there those who oppose the primary?

“Primaries are held out of gluttony, to appease one’s appetite. Our primaries are the work of the party every day, which we carry out,” said LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky. According to Zhirinovsky, United Russia is holding a preliminary vote due to the excess of people in the party. “They don’t know people, how can they get 225 candidates out of 2 million people (in single-mandate constituencies)... But we have a party of 250 thousand people, we can easily find 225, we know them,” the politician emphasized.

The leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov said that “primaries do not completely decide anything - money and big capital decide there.” He called the candidate selection system of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation the most democratic in Russia: “We (communists) propose every candidate from below.”

What do experts think about the preliminary voting system in the Russian Federation?

“The preliminary voting of United Russia gives a serious impetus to the entire electoral process, and it is possible that the principles of openness, competitiveness and legitimacy will extend to other parties,” said Leonid Polyakov, head of the department of general political science at the Higher School of Economics. "United Russia" changed the format of preparation for the Duma elections, going to the public and open formation of lists and candidates for single-mandate constituencies, and thus the principle of competition is "fully respected," the political scientist is sure.

“The peculiarity of this mechanism (primaries), besides the fact that it works in the interests of United Russia, and this is absolutely clear, is that voters also benefit from the use of this mechanism,” said a member of the expert council of the Institute of Socio-Economic and political studies Alexey Zudin. He explained that in this case the voter gets the opportunity to get to know the candidates “in advance, and he goes to the elections more competent and better prepared.” According to the political scientist, primaries “can only be afforded by a very strong party, confident that the mechanism of primaries will encourage regional organizations through inevitable conflicts and clashes to regroup and reconfigure so that the party’s main political resource in elections becomes voter support.”

Is anyone else conducting preliminary voting before the State Duma elections?

The primaries are also held by the so-called Democratic Coalition, created on the basis of the PARNAS party. However, by mid-April it became clear that interest in the PARNAS primaries was low not only among candidates, who had to pay a 20 thousand ruble registration fee, but also among voters.

By the scheduled voting date of April 23-24, only 8 thousand people had registered as voters on a special website, although the organizers expected that there would be approximately 100 thousand. Therefore, on April 11, the PARNAS party announced the decision to postpone the vote to May 28-29.

On April 12, Deputy Chairman of PARNAS Ilya Yashin announced his refusal to participate in the primaries. Following Yashin, one of Navalny’s closest associates, Ivan Zhdanov, announced his refusal to participate in the PARNAS primaries.

So far, only one participant has declared a firm intention to participate in the PARNAS primaries - the December 5 Party.