Presidential election discussed at the RUSSIA EXPO

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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.