Presidential election discussed at the RUSSIA EXPO
On January
26, the All-Russian Expert Forum, which traditionally gathers more than 200
leading experts from all over the country, began at the RUSSIA EXPO. Political
scientists, human rights activists, election lawyers, sociologists and public
figures answer the pressing questions on the socio-political agenda, discuss
public sentiments and expectations of citizens during the election campaign.
The forum was opened by the panel discussion "Under what circumstances are
we approaching the most important election in the country?" moderated by
Firdus Aliyev, Managing Director for Cooperation with the Expert Community of
the ANO "Expert Institute for Social Research" (EISR).
"The
main event of 2024 is the upcoming presidential election in Russia. As a
sociologist, I can confirm that the election is in the focus of attention not
only from the point of view of their participants, politicians and elites, but
also the entire Russian society. This issue is No. 1 on the socio-political
agenda both at the federal and regional levels. The absolute majority of
Russians consider election to be an important event. The main motives for
taking part in them are support for the national leader, fulfillment of civic
duty and motives of involvement, the opportunity to influence the fate of the
country and the image of its future with one's vote," emphasized Viktor
Poturemsky, Director for Political Analysis at the Institute of Social Marketing
(INSOMAR).
Viktor
Poturemsky also spoke about the vision of Russians for the upcoming
presidential election.
"There
is such a concept that is familiar to all experts - electability. It is the
confidence that a certain candidate will win. It is no secret that Vladimir
Vladimirovich Putin's electability is now very high. In focus groups, the
majority of respondents estimate his vote at about 80% or more. There is a
realization that only Putin is capable of influencing the situation our country
is currently in. The national leader responds in a decisive way to the main
concern of Russians - the country's sovereignty, security and the survival of
the state," he said.
"If we
talk about the factors of positive perception of the presidential candidacy:
this is a real leader, the only politician who is able to speak to the
international community on equal terms, he is respected and feared. It is also
recognized that Putin has raised the prestige of Russia, made the country to be
reckoned with and does the maximum to protect its interests. Another factor is
that he is the guarantor of the country's stability and security, the country's
development course and its policy towards friendly and unfriendly states are
clear. The achievements of the national leader, both in individual sectors and
in general, as well as in the development of regions, are recognized. Another
important point is that he pays a lot of attention to the development of
regions," Viktor Poturemsky said.
The
director for political analysis at the Institute of Social Marketing noted that
INSOMAR, based on the results of sociological research, has identified three
main types of motives for Russians to support the president.
"The
first one is rational, associated with the recognition of success, the scale of
the figure and its influence on what is happening in the country. The second is
emotional. Putin is a leader who responds to the public's demand for emotion.
He gives confidence that there is a leader who is capable of confronting
problems and leading the country in the right direction. The third one is
positive lack of alternative. In the opinion of the majority of Russians, Putin
is the only figure capable of dealing with the situation; there is no worthy
substitute for him," Viktor Poturemsky said.
"Pride
for one’s country is an emotion, it can be here and now, while love for one’s
Motherland is a feeling, a feeling that is nurtured. A person is not born with
love for the Motherland, it is brought up in the family, in the collective. In
our tradition, the cultivation the feeling of love for the Motherland is
embedded in the genetic code. This feeling requires the sense of pride for the
country. And when they coincide, there is a synergy that we can observe today
at the Exposition," said Alexei Martynov, Director of the Institute of
Modern States, Associate Professor at the Finance University under the Government
of the Russian Federation.
He also
noted that thanks to the President's actions, Russia continues to develop even
under international pressure, and the living standards of Russians do not
depend on Western sanctions.
"Over
the past year, we have not lost in any position, our standard of living has not
decreased anywhere. In this crisis situation, in these unprecedented new
challenges, there has been a rapid mobilization of society and a mobilization
of the system of governance," Alexei Martynov stressed.
Pavel
Danilin, Director of the Center for Political Analysis and Social Research,
described how Western countries will try to interfere in the Russian
presidential elections.
"The
plans of our enemies have already been made public and voiced - it is the delegitimization
of the elections. There is such an international organization - the OSCE Office
for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. Elections in Russia are always at
the bottom of the organization's ratings. PACE adopted a resolution last year calling
for the recognition of Vladimir Putin as an illegitimate president after the
2024 election," Pavel Danilin, Director of the Center for Political
Analysis and Social Research, pointed out.
Alexander
Asafov, a political scientist and First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Civic
Chamber's Commission on Public Expertise of Draft Laws, confirmed that Western
countries intend to interfere in the Russian presidential election.
"The
election is an important event for Russians, but we are in the information confrontation.
The entities mentioned by Pavel Danilin are investing in any negativity in
order to influence our society and discredit Russia's military and political
leadership. Will they use the most important political event, the point of
concentration of our public and political efforts, the point of consolidation
and unity of our people? Of course, they will. We are talking about this in
order to increase people's electoral literacy, so that the election and all
related processes are clear, understandable and transparent. Then there will be
no room for destructive work," said Alexander Asafov, a political
scientist and First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Civic Chamber's Commission
on Public Expertise of Draft Laws.
The expert
also noted that today our country is in the information confrontation, the West
is investing in a negative agenda, trying to create a feeling among Russians
that something is wrong with the election:
"The
election depends on strict compliance with the law, there is public
observation. And that's why all the methods, whether it's collecting invalid
signatures and submitting them to the commission, or refusing to submit them,
are designed to force the commission to accept the documents and violate its
own law, but our election commission is immovable and does not give in to these
manipulations. The candidates are then forced to violate the law themselves,
and all this in order to make the voter doubt the transparency and cleanliness
of the procedures. We see big interviews, vivid statements of someone who says
"If I am not registered, I will create my own political party" and so
on - these are real statements of people who need a platform to destroy our
sovereignty," said Alexander Asafov.
The
International RUSSIA EXPO is the most important achievements of the country
gathered in one place. Throughout the entire time of the Exposition, guests are
welcomed with cultural events, a rich business and educational program. The
expositions of 89 Russian regions, leading federal agencies, corporations and
public organizations are presented to the visitors.
More than one hundred representatives from 48 countries gathered in Moscow, at the National Centre RUSSIA, for the Open Dialogue "The Future of the World.
Young tour guides participated in another session of the School of Young Tour Guides.
On April 27, a children's workshop titled "Sugar City" was held in the art class of the architectural exposition "The Birth of Scale" at the National Centre RUSSIA.