MOSCOW, November 23. /TASS/. The United Russia party has proved its effectiveness as a ruling political force and is aware of its responsibility for the country’s development, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the party chairman, said at its 19th congress on Saturday.
According to Medvedev, the United Russia "proved its effectiveness as a political force" long ago and has evolved into a ruling party basing on the priorities outlined by President Vladimir Putin.
"The United Russia has higher responsibility, the responsibility for Russia’s historic destiny," Medvedev continued pointing out that much is expected where much is given.
"The United Russia is aware of its responsibility. The essence of our leadership is to make the decisions needed by the country, to explain to the people, of course, and, when you vie for nomination at the elections, to convince voters that these decisions have been chosen correctly," the prime minister said.
Medvedev concluded that "it is life [in the country] that must eventually be a boost to" the Russians’ confidence in the correctness of those decisions.
Implementation of national projects
Medvedev has called on fellow party members to get more actively involved in the implementation of national projects, he said.
"United Russia should unconditionally join more energetically the implementation of national projects," he said.
"Mighty powerful country"
Medvedev, the chairman of the ruling United Russia party, hopes that the decisions of the 19th party congress help create "a mighty powerful country," he said.
"I am sure that the decisions, which we have taken today, will eventually help us approach our most important goal of creating together a new, strong and powerful country, a country comfortable for our citizens, a country interesting to live in, a country where all the most important tasks of modern life have been solved," Medvedev said.
He pointed out that he had been able to make this stance sufficiently clear in his report.
New party program
Medvedev will himself head the commission drafting a new party program, he told.
"Each region should have a team of local leaders and experts that will be coordinating this work to draft amendments to the new program, and at the federal level, I myself will be overseeing that. I will head the party’s program commission," he said.
About 2,000 delegates attended the 19th party forum held at the VDNKh (All-Russian Exhibition Center) in Moscow on Saturday. The congress focused on the party’s electoral campaigns, including preparations for the election to the State Duma (the lower house of Russia’s parliament) in 2021.
Win elections
Medvedev, the chairman of the ruling United Russia party, said that the party should secure a landslide win at the upcoming election in 2020.
"We are indeed entering a milestone period. In 2020, a single voting day will be held, which is the last massive electoral campaign in the run-up to the election to the State Duma [the lower house of Russia’s parliament]. As before, our goal is to win. Honestly. Confidently. Unconditionally. Let our opponents be comforted with the principle ‘it is important not to win but to take part.’ We should be determined to win, above all else," Medvedev said at the United Russia congress on Saturday.
He warned the fellow party members, "We have to realize that our opponents’ strategies are frequently founded not on sophisticated programs, as they do not often need them, but on aggressive attacks on United Russia, as it was in the past, employing a variety of techniques, sometimes dirty ones."
"We do not employ them, but we should not be subjected to unfair attacks either. We should learn to respond and to fight," Medvedev said.
The Russian prime minister advised United Russia party members "to expand the circle of supporters, to attract those to the party who are enthusiastic to help their country, along with representatives of civil society and non-profit organizations."
"We are ready to provide an opportunity to everyone who is smart, talented and intelligent to be nominated as a candidate from the party," the chairman of the party said.
He drew attention to the fact that "there are already many new young people in United Russia."
"Instead of big words, they rely absolutely on the projects of targeted support, they all do so with doubled energy of youth and effectively employ advanced technologies, including digital ones," Medvedev stated.
He reminded that "according to results of the previous elections, 122 young people who represented United Russia became deputies of legislative assemblies and city parliaments and more than 1,300 became municipal deputies.".
Invulnerable to political opponents
The United Russia party should become invulnerable to its political opponents by the time of the elections to the State Duma (the lower house of Russia’s parliament) in 2021, Medvedev said.
The congress is discussing the participation of the ruling United Russia party in upcoming electoral campaigns, including the elections to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, in 2021.
"We are due to run for the State Duma in 2021. We should devote the entire next year to the efforts to ensure that the United Russia party approaches the Duma campaign at the peak of its strength and possibilities," Medvedev said.
One of the basic tasks for the United Russia is "to make the party invulnerable to political opponents," Medvedev stressed.
In Medvedev’s opinion, the United Russia party "now needs to critically assess its experience and it is time to update the party’s program, taking into account present-day tasks."
‘It is necessary to give room for new ideas, new persons and new methods of work," the premier said.
The United Russia party should be "open for each person who needs support," Medvedev stressed.