Putin praised United Russia because of its”ability to revive and continuously develop” at a language where he promised to increase spending on infrastructure, education, and healthcare.

“I am certain the United Russia sets for itself the maximum pub, which would be to affirm its leadership position and to guarantee success in the elections,” Putin said.

Putin also suggested that United Russia’s national celebration list feature notable figures such as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. His suggestion was afterwards approved by the celebration.

The comparatively popular former president, Dmitry Medvedev, who led the party’s national listing in 2011 and 2016, wasn’t one of the top five candidates.

Party lists are intended to draw attention by incorporating popular figures who ordinarily do not wind up really accepting legislative mandates.

Together with the nation mired in economic woes which have seen a decrease in real incomes and increasing inflation, United Russia was polling at historical lows. As stated by the Levada Center polling outfit, only 27% of Russians support the celebration down from 31 percent last August.

From the run-up into the elections, where 450 seats in the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, will probably be up for grabs, the Kremlin has broken down — sometimes brutally — on opposition political figures and separate media.

From the 2016 Duma elections, United Russia won 90 percent of those 225 single-mandate chairs despite winning just over 50% of their vote. Political analysts say that a number of these chairs could be exposed if popular resistance figures could take part in the elections.

Opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, that endured a near-fatal nerve-agent poisoning last August he blames on Putin, was detained in January.

Other possible independent candidates also have been persecuted. Former State Duma Deputy Dmitry Gudkov fled the nation before this month after authorities started a fraud investigation against him along with a comparative.

In his comments at the United Russia congress,” Putin stated that”our shared task would be to do our utmost to make certain the election is held publicly and honestly based on the law to ensure its consequences can reflect the real will of the country.”