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No concerns about drop in number of political parties in Russia — Medvedev

Chairman of the United Russia Party emphasized the need to comply with the criteria enshrined in the Russian law on political parties

MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. The drop in the number of political parties in Russia, recorded in the past several years, is not an alarming trend but a fact, Chairman of the United Russia Party Dmitry Medvedev, who also serves as Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, said in an interview with the RT TV channel.

"The trend is neither alarming nor encouraging. It's just a fact," he pointed out. "Some of them [political parties] failed to withstand political competition, ensure their financing or reach out to voters. Others violated the law so the Supreme Court got rid of them through its rulings. I don't see any reason to be concerned," Medvedev said, adding: "At the same time, new parties can emerge."

He also emphasized the need to comply with the criteria enshrined in the Russian law on political parties. "They [parties] need to be popular, at least at the municipal and regional level. And if they seek to participate in federal election campaigns, they need to ensure their popularity on the federal level, too," United Russia's chairman concluded.