Pavel Grudinin's election program. Programs and statements: what presidential candidates are going to the elections with Communist Party of the Russian Federation presidential candidate program

With less than two months left before the presidential election, candidates are rushing to present their programs. On December 23, 17th, the pre-election congress of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation nominated a businessman, the head of the Lenin state farm, Pavel Grudinin, to participate in the elections. Gennady Zyuganov stated this. The candidate is not a member of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, but goes to the polls with a party program.

Also on Saturday, Ksenia Sobchak presented a program compiled with the help of a number of experts. The TV presenter is nominated for the post of President of the Russian Federation from the “Civil Initiative”. Let us recall that the liberal party was founded by ex-Minister of Economy of the Russian Federation Andrei Nechaev in 2013.

Previously, veterans of the Russian political scene - Grigory Yavlinsky and Vladimir Zhirinovsky - submitted the documents required for official registration as a candidate in the presidential elections to the CEC.

• RIA News

Both candidates also presented programs outlining their own visions of needed reforms. Vladimir Putin, who announced his intention to run for a new presidential term in early December, has not yet presented his election program. Let us remind you that Vladimir Putin is running in the 2018 elections not from the party, but as a self-nominated candidate.

At the same time, the leader of A Just Russia, Sergei Mironov, has already stated that his party will not nominate its own candidate in the elections and will support the current head of state.

“We are a socialist party, but over the past six months, three fundamental decisions of the president are directly the programmatic provisions of our party. He hears, we see a trend,” TASS quotes Mironov as saying.

Social paternalism

Let us note that the modern Communist Party of the Russian Federation is ready to rethink the experience of the CPSU and draw conclusions from the mistakes made by the leadership of the Soviet Union. Criticism of the CPSU's miscalculations is contained in the first part of the party program.

“Bureaucratism grew, the self-organization of the people was hampered, the public energy and initiative of the working people decreased... The shameful crown of these criminal acts was the bloody October 1993 - the shooting of the House of Soviets in Moscow from tank guns, the dispersal of the Congress of People's Deputies. These events served as a prologue to the creation of a bourgeois state and the establishment of a regime of national treason,” the party program says.

The communists intend to correct the situation in three stages. Firstly, the democratic power of the working people, led by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, must be established in the country. It is specified that “the Communist Party of the Russian Federation will actively revive and develop direct democracy.” The final stage should be the formation of socialist social relations and a socialist social system.

However, these are global plans of the party, which can only be discussed in the long term. The medium-term measures proposed by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation are given in the document “10 Steps to a Decent Life.” The party participated in the 2016 elections with this program, and today the theses have not lost their relevance.

Among the specific measures that can lead to the set goals are the nationalization of natural resources and strategic sectors of the national economy, state control of prices for essential goods.

“The government is obliged to regulate tariffs for electricity, fuel and transport. These are the most important factors for economic development and social well-being of the country’s citizens,” the document says.

It should be noted that on a number of points the programs of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the Liberal Democratic Party overlap, for example on the issue of introducing a progressive tax scale. Communists also advocate this measure.

“It’s high time for the rich in Russia to fork out cash. We are ready to reduce income taxes for the poor and cancel them for the most disadvantaged. These decisions are not only fair, but will also add 4 trillion rubles to the country’s budget,” says the “10 Theses.”

Despite ideological differences, the programs of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the Liberal Democratic Party are in a similar tone, experts say.

Just like Zhirinovsky, the communists are calling for state funds that are currently stored abroad to be used for the development of the country. In addition, one of the first steps, according to the communists, should be Russia's refusal to join the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The program also touches on the topic of returning lost territories - the communists intend to promote the “voluntary reunification of the union state.”

Experts note the great similarity in the positions of the candidates nominated by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the Liberal Democratic Party. According to political scientist, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State Pedagogical University Vladimir Shapovalov, a rather paradoxical situation has developed: on the one hand, the LDPR has always positioned itself as an anti-communist party, and it arose in the wake of anti-communist sentiments. But, on the other hand, the LDPR, despite this, pays great attention to social issues.

“It is enough to recall the slogan of Vladimir Zhirinovsky, which has not lost its relevance today: “We are for the poor, we are for the Russians!” - the expert recalled. — In fact, both the LDPR and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation are focused on the same electorate - people who are in opposition to the authorities, but share patriotic ideas and are part of the “Crimean consensus.”

Facing West

Unlike Pavel Grudinin, Grigory Yavlinsky is not taking part in presidential elections for the first time. On December 22, the Yabloko party congress nominated the politician again as a candidate for the post of President of Russia.

The multi-page program published by Yavlinsky is called "The Road to the Future".

However, the very first paragraphs of the document appeal more to foreign states than to the real interests of Russian citizens, experts say.

The first item on the list of priority tasks, without which “not a single problem in Russia can be solved,” is “ending the aggressive confrontation and war with Ukraine.” Here it is proposed to recognize the annexation of Crimea to Russia as “illegal”, as well as to “stop inciting hatred towards Ukraine.”

Yavlinsky was a little late with the second point of urgent measures - “the phased withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria”, because the corresponding decision was made by the Kremlin back in early December.

In his program, Yavlinsky returns to the topic of international relations more than once, inviting Russia to abandon its confrontation “with the entire civilized world,” primarily with the United States and the European Union. It follows from the program that it was Russia that allegedly initiated the confrontation with the West.

Grigory Yavlinsky proposes to rectify the situation, in particular, by returning to “civilized” trade relations and returning “high-quality and fresh products from different countries” to Russian stores. Undoubtedly, such steps would please many foreign food exporters.

The Yabloko leader considers strict respect for private property, as well as adherence to “generally accepted norms of state economic policy in a market economy,” to be the key condition for economic development. In particular, the candidate calls on the state to correlate its “information policy” with the foreign interests of Russian business. Also, much attention is paid to the housing problem and the problem of the development of single-industry towns.

The topic of historical continuity also did not go unnoticed by Yavlinsky. Only, unlike Zhirinovsky, he proposes not reconciliation, but war. In particular, the politician intends to carry out large-scale “decommunization” in Russia, following the example of countries such as Ukraine. To this end, if Yavlinsky wins the elections, a special program “to correct Russian toponymy” will be created.

The politician is going to establish a kind of historical tribunal in order to assess at the state level “the violent seizure of power committed by the Bolsheviks in 1917-1918.” Based on the results of the “investigation,” it is planned to adopt a special constitutional act, essentially erasing the Soviet period from Russian history.

“To clearly and unambiguously define that modern Russia is the legal successor of the Russian state before the October Revolution of 1917 and the dispersal of the Constituent Assembly,” says the election program of the presidential candidate from Yabloko.

According to experts, Grigory Yavlinsky does not expect to win today; with his statements and actions over the past decades, the politician has undermined his chances for leadership.

“Yavlinsky’s audience left him in 1999, when with his “talented” speech he reduced Yabloko’s electoral base from 24 to 16%,” Kirill Koktysh, associate professor of the department of political theory at MGIMO of the Russian Foreign Ministry, recalled in an interview with RT. — He then suggested stopping at the Terek while the troops had already crossed the Terek for two weeks and were moving on (we are talking about military operations in Chechnya. — RT). This proposal was similar to an offer of surrender, which Chubais immediately took advantage of, increasing the potential of the Union of Right Forces.

• Grigory Yavlinsky after submitting documents to the Russian Central Election Commission for nomination as a candidate for the presidential elections in 2018
• Anton Denisov/RIA Novosti

A similar point of view is shared by political scientist and deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State Pedagogical University Vladimir Shapovalov. As the expert noted, Grigory Yavlinsky has previously put foreign policy issues at the forefront - both in the Yabloko program and in his public speeches.

“At the same time, it is clear that these ideas resonate with a very narrow audience, within the limits of statistical error,” added Shapovalov in an interview with RT. — Why does Yavlinsky so persistently promote these ideas and focus on them? Most likely, he hopes to consolidate this group of citizens around himself, and in addition, make it clear to the Western community that he is his main friend in Russia.”

Legalization of gay marriage and Stalin's ban

Ksenia Sobchak also addresses the topic of the Soviet past when she unveiled her election program. Like Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Sobchak insists on the abolition of Articles 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Extremism”) and 280 (“Public calls for extremist activity”). However, at the same time, the candidate proposes to “decisively abandon totalitarian symbols,” in particular, we are talking about the need to bury Lenin and the ban on “justifying Stalin and the repressions of the 20-50s of the 20th century.” Ksenia Sobchak refers to democratic values. At the same time, according to recent surveys conducted by the Levada Center, 46% of Russians have a positive attitude towards Joseph Stalin.

“Russia is an integral part of Europe geographically, historically and culturally. We must live according to pan-European laws and values ​​- this is the path that will ensure us both independence and prosperity,” Sobchak’s program says.

• Ksenia Sobchak
• Reuters

The candidate from the “Civil Initiative” echoes Grigory Yavlinsky, calling to “stop the hybrid war” in eastern Ukraine, as well as to return home military personnel who are “in any status” abroad.

“It is necessary to stop the propaganda of war, the formation of an atmosphere of hatred and total confrontation in Russian society, and the cultivation of the image of the enemy,” Sobchak clarifies. In addition, the candidate proposes to hold a second referendum on the ownership of the Crimean peninsula, coordinating the procedure with Kiev and the international community.

In domestic politics, Sobchak advocates a transition from a “super-presidential republic” to a “full-format parliamentary democracy.”

Just like Yavlinsky, Sobchak advocates the abolition of the assignment of the status of “foreign agents” to foreign NGOs and media.

To make it easier to do business in Russia, it is proposed to simplify “even the abolition” of most safety regulations - fire and sanitary.

Also among the measures to support entrepreneurship, the program indicates a reduction in the general rate of insurance payments for employers from 30 to 24%.

In the social sphere, Ksenia Sobchak proposes, in particular, to increase the average pension to 40% of the average salary in the country. Note that currently, according to Rosstat, this figure is 33.9% of the average accrued salary in the country.

In order to overcome discrimination against women in the labor sphere, Sobchak intends in the medium term to mandatory divide maternity leave between the father and mother of the child.

In addition, family law reforms are planned: it is proposed, in particular, to legalize the conclusion and dissolution of civil unions between citizens, regardless of their gender.

Although Ksenia Sobchak positions herself as a candidate “against everyone,” in reality she will compete with Grigory Yavlinsky for that narrow layer of society that also advocates revising the Crimean referendum, says Vladimir Shapovalov.

“There will be quite fierce competition between them,” the expert added.

“We shouldn’t treat her like a beloved grandmother.”

The current head of state has not yet presented his election program, but said during the annual press conference on December 12 that it “practically exists.”

“I would not like to talk now about the election program, which I, like other candidates, will have and should have. I practically already have it. I repeat, now is probably not the format in which to present it,” Putin noted, answering questions from journalists.

According to presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov, the fact that Vladimir Putin continues to serve as head of state while participating in the election campaign leaves its mark.

When running in 2012, Putin presented a program of action, the strategic goal of which was then stated to be a twofold increase in labor productivity in the country over a ten-year period. The program also paid attention to “protecting the foundations of morality,” regional development, increasing salaries in the public sector and a number of other important issues.

On December 23, 2017, Putin spoke at the XVII Congress of United Russia. According to experts, it is possible that some of the theses voiced by the head of state will be included in the official election program.

• Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti

In his speech, the transcript of which is posted on the Kremlin website, Putin touched on a whole range of tasks and problems. In particular, they talked about demography, social sphere, economics and international partnership.

The head of state called for continuing the course towards liberalizing legislation and cutting off vague, ambiguous legal norms that unscrupulous law enforcement officers use to put pressure on business.

The president paid the main attention to political interaction between the state and society - this topic was actively discussed during the big press conference of the head of state.

The inertia of the political system can lead to the instant collapse of the state, as happened in recent history, Putin noted.

“Nothing undermines stability more than indifference to one’s country and detachment from the needs of citizens, arrogance and arrogance, no matter who they come from - politicians, officials, business or those who call themselves the elite,” the head of state said.

“I’ll emphasize: this is exactly what it is, and not at all the fair demands of people to solve pressing problems,” the president added. Therefore, in his opinion, the state should treat a capable and responsible opposition with respect.

After all, a responsible, free civil society is “resistant to any attempts at destabilization” and “will never allow the country to be plunged into chaos,” Putin believes.

“Russia is a country with a thousand-year history. But we should not treat her like a beloved grandmother: give her medicine on time so that nothing hurts her, and leave it at that. Not at all! We must make Russia young, forward-looking, and with each new generation it becomes so,” the president concluded.

According to Vladimir Shapovalov, although Vladimir Putin has not yet published the official election program, the idea of ​​what main ideas it will contain has already been formed based on the latest speeches of the head of state. As the expert explained, increased attention is paid to the domestic political agenda not by chance.

“For citizens of any country, presidential elections are primarily related to domestic political issues, despite the importance of foreign policy,” says Shapovalov. “In this sense, Vladimir Putin voiced a fairly clear position, the main message of which is that the president stands for the development of political discussion in society and constructive dialogue.”

Kirill Koktysh shares a similar point of view. The expert explained that some of the theses spoken will indeed be included in Putin’s election program.

Attention to the topic of establishing dialogue between society, the state and the political opposition is also quite natural.

“We need to talk about such things, because a system without feedback, naturally, sharply loses its viability. Therefore, steps to ensure that there is a connection between society and the state will most likely be taken - this is dictated by common sense,” the expert concluded.

Yeah 0, are you specifically “stupid”, not only “holey”!?
On 108th? It’s you who came to Stepanych with a “attack”, thereby “punishing” you, he could “get under the article” (which is not clear in what was written)... But Stepanych is a Reasonable Man, to bastard with you and the youngster... - i.e., you don't give a fuck... and that's true.
((you were the first to “throw in a presentation” - “It’s hard to challenge me to a duel”)) - so the choice seems to be mine. But I let the “girls” go ahead, although I understand that it’s “bad” to communicate with “leaky” and “blue-blooded...” ugh. Such an “offended” .. - what is it like in the spring? Don’t “ring your horns Musya” and sit “evenly” and drink milk. Come to Nizhny, it’s even interesting - did you want to please me with this or what? (100% youngster) I’m going to Moscow, I’ll write to the post office, if you don’t “get together” - let’s “talk”. Only I’m sure - you’re like Ursulka, you give me “left” addresses (either a car wash, or a fitness center), do you work for the same non-profit organization? After all, the “stuffiness” is flogging you from the good news about Russia - right, “bug”?
-
I am not writing further for the “zero”... In any case, either a youngster or a troll from the outskirts, a lot of them have gotten divorced recently, before the elections. They yell, “everything is lost and we will survive,” but they don’t see any changes for the better. I also noticed; Putin is “hated” by the Pindos - the “livers and all-goers” immediately begin to echo them, and other, “unreasonable and narrow-minded” (I put it mildly) Russians begin to “echo” them in unison!
Let me explain about “zero” - several of my comments and publications against the enemies of Russia caused a “commotion” among this “muska”. It wrote to me - ((Your cowardice and your liberal principles. Don’t confuse the Russian people with yourself. You are NOT WORTHY TO EVEN STUTTER ABOUT THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE!)) - an attempt to “turn everything around”, to provoke me into “aggression” and some actions. There are too many big words - “Russian, Russian people” (in almost every comment); If “it” had at least some relation to Russia and the Russian people, then it would not “boast” about it at every step. I am Russian, I know this, and I don’t need to prove it to anyone, and therefore I don’t “shout” about it, and I have nothing against other peoples of Russia. All of us (i.e., our ancestors) together defended the USSR from the Aryan-fascists-Nazis (by the way, it’s not for nothing that there is an information war against Russia). And now, when there is a war against American terrorism in Syria, their plan is to weaken Russia from the inside, they cannot break us, so they “threw” legends about fascists/Aryans/Iranians/Indians (and they themselves do not know who they are - some kind of “blue-blooded gods,” as this “zero” wrote to himself just now), all sorts of Miroshnichenko(v) with an outskirts accent on “Skirt” are broadcasting their “nonsense” about Russia, also “Urengoy boys” with Okrainsky roots and with “liver” ( with liberals) apologize to the Germans, etc. And “zero/leaky”, as in “secret LGBT-rast” (and most likely), “runs around and screams loudly” - the urine of “LGBT-rast”, I’m normal, I’m not from “ their teams” (all according to Freud). In addition, he reacts furiously to comments and disagreement with his “point of view”, don’t you think that this is too much a “feminine trait of the Ursulocs” (I ask women not to be offended by this).

Region: Moscow city
Date Time: 2017-06-20 11:00 (local time)

June 20 at 11:00 in Moscow at st. Trubnaya 19/12 will take place press conference of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation dedicated to the start of the 2017-2018 election campaigns.

The event will highlight the plans of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation for participation in the elections of municipal deputies in Moscow (September 10, 2017), presidential elections (March 18, 2018), and elections for the Mayor of Moscow (September 2018).

Main topics of the press conference:

Communist Party of the Russian Federation team: candidates for elections;

Strategy and tactics of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and its candidates during the upcoming election campaigns;

The attitude of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation towards protest movements and events in Moscow;

Prospects for cooperation with other political and social forces (parties, movements, associations);

The issue of renovation of the housing stock and other pressing issues on the Moscow agenda in the election campaign of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.

Press conference participants:

V.F. Rashkin, State Duma deputy, first secretary of the Moscow City Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation;

A.E. Klychkov, head of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation faction in the Moscow City Duma, member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.

Submitted documents to the CEC on December 28, 2017
The CEC approved the documents on December 29, 2017
Registered as a candidate 01/12/2018

20 steps by Pavel Grudinin. The Russian presidential candidate addresses everyone

I am confident that relying on the team of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the left and national-patriotic forces of Russia, we can and must win the presidential elections. Having solved this problem, relying on the support of the people and the Supreme State Council headed by G.A. Zyuganov, we will once again make our Fatherland a strong and powerful power, overcome poverty, and ensure a decent life for citizens.

To achieve this, the following main measures will be implemented.

1. Change of economic strategy.

The priority will be the well-being of the broad masses, and not a handful of oligarchs, the interests of the common man, and not the greed of “fat cats.” This requires a sharp turn from oligarchic capitalism to a welfare state. We will put the wealth of Russia, its natural, industrial and financial resources, at the service of the people. We will carry out the nationalization of strategically important and systemically important industries, the electric power industry, railways, communications systems, and leading banks. The state will regain its monopoly on the production and wholesale sale of ethyl alcohol. This will give impetus to development and bring the treasury trillions of rubles annually; will allow us to create a development budget instead of a budget of impoverishment and degradation.

2. Restoration of Russia's economic sovereignty.

The government has several trillion rubles in its coffers. But these colossal funds have been transferred to the management of foreign financial organizations. We will invest those trillions of rubles that are stored in US banks and debt obligations into investments in production, science and education. The new government will rid the Russian economy of total dollar dependence. Will create a financial system in the interests of the state and citizens of the country. We will limit the access of foreign speculative capital to the Russian market. We will refuse to participate in the WTO, because during the 4 years of our stay in this economic punishment cell we received more than a trillion rubles in direct losses and 5 trillion in indirect losses.

3. Credit resources - for economic recovery.

For this purpose, we will reduce the bank interest rate. Let's stop the wild withdrawal of capital abroad. We will concentrate all available funds for investment in domestic production and people. Opportunities will open up for large-scale injections into the economy, to support small and medium-sized businesses, national and collective enterprises. Their strangulation in the interests of large network companies with foreign owners will stop. The monetary system will ensure the provision of long-term cheap credit.

4. New industrialization, modernization of the economy and its introduction to innovation.

We have to rely on science and new technologies. Engage in the active development of industries that provide technological progress: microelectronics, biotechnology, robotics and machine tools. We will increase the share of the manufacturing industry from the current 15-20% to 70-80%, as in the leading countries of the world.
5. Ensuring food security in Russia, overcoming the situation when a significant part of food is imported from abroad.

The program for sustainable rural development will give it a new life, revive large-scale agricultural production and social infrastructure in rural areas. We will allocate at least 10 percent of budget expenditures for these purposes. We will return GOST standards and introduce criminal liability for falsification of food products.

6. Our historical task is to ensure the revival of “provincial” Russia.

We will equalize the capabilities of regional budgets. We will carry out gasification of the country. We guarantee support for small cities, towns and rural settlements. We will ensure the return of schools, hospitals and other social infrastructure to them. We will provide free gas, electricity, water and sewerage to private homes in small towns and villages for citizens.

7. Control over prices for basic products and essential goods, and housing and communal services tariffs.

We will limit the appetites of natural monopolies and stop the speculative rise in prices for vital goods and services. We will reduce prices for medicines and tariffs for all types of transport. Fees for major repairs will be abolished. Housing and communal services tariffs should not exceed 10 percent of family income.

8. Taxes are in the interests of justice and development.

Income taxes will increase for the rich and be eliminated for the poor. The tax system will stimulate investment and innovation activities of enterprises. The value added tax, which is strangling our industry, will be eliminated. We will abolish the transport tax and the Platon system.

9. Restoring labor guarantees and an 8-hour working day, providing people with jobs and decent wages.

The minimum wage will be 25,000-30,000 rubles. A working person will earn a decent living, have a decent rest and restore his strength. We will bring back job guarantees for young people. Graduates of state universities will receive a guaranteed first job. Large-scale retraining and advanced training programs will be launched.

10. The destruction of the social sphere will be stopped.

We guarantee free and high-quality secondary and higher education and medical care. We will bring back the annual free medical examination. We will establish standards for financing science, education and healthcare - at least 7% of GDP for each industry. The state will cover all costs of treating seriously ill people, especially children. Physical culture and sports will become the property of the people, the most important means of strengthening the health of the nation.

11. Motherhood and childhood will receive every possible support.

We will restore the preschool education system and guarantee a place for the child in kindergarten and in the extended day group at school. The development of mass children's sports, free clubs and creative studios will become a reality. We will equate the monthly child benefit to the child's subsistence level. The payment of monthly benefits will increase from one and a half to three years. The state will subsidize the production of children's goods.

12. Citizens - decent pensions.

We will immediately pass a law on “children of war.” Let's maintain the current retirement age. We will return the indexation of pensions to working pensioners. Let's cancel the reduction factor of 0.54 for military pensioners. We guarantee an average old-age pension of at least 50% of the average salary.

13. We will protect the spiritual health of the nation.

Let's revive our national culture. We will provide comprehensive support to museums, theaters, and libraries.

14. We guarantee mass construction of high-quality and affordable housing.

We will introduce the provision of apartments or houses for young families and the elimination of dilapidated and dilapidated housing. We will expand the mass construction of housing at cost and provide it to families with children in installments, without usurious interest. Mortgage rates will be reduced to 3-4%. Large and young families will receive an interest-free targeted loan for a period of 30 years. The “densification” development will be finished.

15. Curb the greed of moneylenders.

We will provide debt amnesty for victims of “microfinance organizations.” Let's support "currency mortgage holders". Criminal liability will be introduced for being drawn into enslaving transactions, a ban on “collection” activities and the assignment of debt obligations of citizens.

16. Ensure the protection of nature.

We will introduce a ban on both privatization and long-term lease of forest and water lands. The practice of converting forests and parks into land for construction will be stopped.

17. Guarantee the defense capability and security of the country, the high scientific and technical level of the defense industry.

The combat readiness of the Armed Forces, the prestige of military service and law enforcement agencies will significantly increase.

18. A fair trial will be on the side of the law, the citizen and society, and not the oligarchy.

We will guarantee the real independence of the court and investigative bodies from the executive authorities, ensure the election of judges, and extend the competence of jury trials to cases of “extremism”, under Article 282 of the “Russian”, and corruption crimes of senior officials. Innocently convicted patriots of the Fatherland will be released and rehabilitated. Similarly, ordinary “swamp” residents - in contrast to provocateurs, false witnesses and organizers of illegal actions.

19. Restoration of the system of democracy and popular representation.

We will return to the people the right to referendums on the most important issues. Parliament will not be an obedient stamper of laws handed down from above, but an assembly of people's representatives. His competence will be expanded. The President will become controlled and accountable to the people and parliament. The procedure for his impeachment will be simplified. No one will have the right to serve as president for more than two terms of 4 years in a lifetime. A Supreme State Council will be established, without whose approval not a single fundamentally important decision of the President of the country can be made. Elections at all levels will become truly equal and free, with strict suppression of any violations and fraud during the tabulation of results.

20. Improving the quality of public administration.

We will raise the president's responsibility for forming the cabinet of ministers, and the government's responsibility for its actions. The composition of the government will be approved in the State Duma. Candidates for all ministerial positions will be publicly justified by the President. The Central Bank will operate as a controlled and accountable body of government, motivated by industrial development. The Accounts Chamber will become the highest and truly independent audit body. Suppressing corruption not in words, but in deeds will have both an economic, moral and political effect.

Sincerely,
Pavel Grudinin.

MOSCOW, March 15 – RIA Novosti. The Russian presidential election will be held on Sunday, with eight people vying for the highest government post: political old-timers and newcomers, liberals and communists, as well as the current head of state.

Voting will take place in the country from 8 am to 8 pm local time at 97 thousand polling stations. Since February 17, candidates have had the opportunity to campaign and participate in debates, and on March 17 there will be a day of silence. The President of Russia is elected for a six-year term.

Below is a summary of the candidates' programs and statements, as on the ballot, they are presented in alphabetical order.

Baburin's Russian choice

Russian presidential candidate Sergei Baburin is a veteran of modern politics, at one time he was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, and then was elected to the State Duma three times and was twice vice-speaker. This is the first time a politician is participating directly in a presidential campaign.

Baburin’s main ideological slogan comes down to the phrase “Russian choice”, that is, the basis of politics, economics, social sphere, education, culture, science, according to Baburin, should be Russian traditions, morality, spirituality - without this the politician sees no future for revival of Russia. He advocates the construction of a social state, the return of funds from offshore companies to Russia, active investments in human capital: education, preschool education, medicine, culture and science, as well as support for domestic producers and investments in innovative developments.

At the same time, Baburin considers it important to fight for the preservation and expansion of the “Russian world.” In foreign policy, he proceeds from the principles of a bipolar world, where Russia will be one of the poles. The politician also advocates support and recognition of Transnistria, DPR, LPR and other islands of the “Russian world”.

Non-party candidate from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation

The director of the Lenin state farm, Pavel Grudinin, is nominated by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation for the presidential elections in Russia in 2018. This decision, made at the XVII pre-election congress of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, was unexpected for many, including the candidate himself, as he later admitted to journalists. The candidate's election headquarters was personally headed by the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov; the election program “20 steps of Pavel Grudinin” was developed by the Communist Party. However, Grudinin has repeatedly emphasized his non-partisanship, while noting that he fully supports the ideology of the communists.

In the program text “20 steps of Pavel Grudinin,” the candidate stated the need to reduce prices for medicines and tariffs for all types of transport, eliminate the value added tax, abolish the transport tax and the Plato system. In the social sphere, Grudinin, if he wins, promised to establish funding standards for science, education and healthcare in the amount of at least 7% of GDP for each industry. In addition, the candidate of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation stated the need to maintain the current retirement age and return indexation of pensions to working pensioners. Another striking proposal in the politician’s program was the promise of Russia’s refusal to participate in the World Trade Organization (WTO).

At the height of the election race, the CEC announced that Grudinin had 13 accounts in Switzerland at the time of his nomination, in which about $1 million was placed, including about 174 ounces of gold. At the same time, the Central Election Commission noted that the government agency is obliged to inform voters about the facts identified, therefore this data is posted on information posters about the candidates who will be at each polling station. Grudinin himself called this information about the “party gold” a “stuffing” and noted that he would not be surprised if they discovered the Amber Room or the library of Ivan the Terrible in his possession.

Grudinin also refused to participate in television debates. At the end of February, Grudinin left the Channel One studio live on air, calling what was happening a “booth.” Previously, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation came up with a proposal to change the format of the debate, and also repeatedly sent complaints to the Central Election Commission about the coverage of Grudinin’s election campaign by the media. Thus, Zyuganov reported that the Communist Party sent about 70 “substantiated complaints and statements” to the Central Election Commission.

Some of Grudinin’s most striking statements during the election race were proposals to introduce the death penalty for pedophiles and maniacs in Russia, to abolish the Unified State Examination in schools, and to create a National Anti-Corruption Bureau in the country, which would be supra-party in nature and have the broadest powers, including before inspections by the President of the Russian Federation.

A big discussion in society was caused by the statement of the candidate from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation that Joseph Stalin is the greatest leader of the country over the last 100 years. In addition, during one of the press conferences, Grudinin compared the Red Army soldiers who fought against the Nazi invaders with “rams under the leadership of a lion,” referring to Stalin’s lion. In connection with this statement, a petition was published on the website change.org on behalf of the Council of Veterans of the North-Western Administrative District of Moscow demanding that Grudinin apologize for such a comparison. The leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov, commenting on this situation, said that he did not see anything offensive in the fact that Grudinin compared USSR soldiers to sheep, since there is such a “folk proverb.”

Record holder Zhirinovsky

LDPR presidential candidate Vladimir Zhirinovsky participated in six presidential elections. During the current campaign, he mentioned topics affecting the very foundations of statehood of the modern Russian Federation. He spoke about the need for significant changes in the Russian political system for the next presidential elections, which are due to take place in 2024. According to Zhirinovsky, the presidential post will become insignificant or will be abolished, the main powers will be concentrated in the hands of the unelected head of the State Council, and all parties will either be gathered into two approximately equal in strength or abolished. The head of the State Council can also head the CIS interparliamentary assembly, Zhirinovsky believes, such a structure can be strengthened politically by the creation of a two-party system.

However, not all the initiatives of the leader of the LDPR related to the internal agenda were of a sharply political nature. Among other things, he proposed, for example, that the state should help single people create families. At the same time, Zhirinovsky considers it necessary to exempt citizens with a salary below 20 thousand rubles from taxes, and to introduce an additional tax on excess income. The presidential candidate said that in the future engineering should become the main profession in the country, and proposed putting its representatives in charge of all regions.

Traditionally, one of the most important topics for the leader of the Liberal Democrats is foreign policy. Zhirinovsky believes that it is best to speak with the West in the language of force. In another statement, the head of the LDPR even suggested that Russia’s growing confrontation with the West plays into his hands as a presidential candidate. However, while the West, Zhirinovsky says, is helping him, the regional authorities, in his own words, are putting pressure on LDPR activists. If he wins the elections, as the candidate stated, he is first of all ready to replace the heads of the Kemerovo, Lipetsk and Belgorod regions, calling these regions “the worst version of democracy.”

At the debate, the leader of the LDPR attracted attention not so much with his political statements; for example, the interest of the audience was aroused by the skirmish that Russian presidential candidates Ksenia Sobchak and Vladimir Zhirinovsky staged on air on the Rossiya 1 channel. During the event on February 28, Zhirinovsky interfered with the speech of another Russian presidential candidate, Sergei Baburin. Sobchak called on him to calm down, the LDPR leader made a number of unflattering statements about her, and she poured a glass of water on her opponent.

Self-nominated Putin

Presidential candidate and current head of state Vladimir Putin announced his candidacy in December last year; he has not yet formally presented his election program; analysts are considering a number of his speeches that took place at the height of the campaign as programmatic ones. As Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov previously stated, assessments of work and prospects for the future “one way or another will coincide” in the Russian leader’s message to the Federal Assembly, which was announced on March 1.

Putin then highlighted the country's development priorities: improving the living conditions of Russians, increasing the size of pensions and their indexation, targeted social assistance to those in need, the development of preschool educational institutions and other areas of social policy. Putin called ensuring growth in real incomes of citizens and reducing the poverty level by at least half over six years as one of the key tasks for the coming decade. The President even set the country the task of entering the club of “80 plus” countries, where life expectancy exceeds 80 years, by the end of the next decade. In addition, Putin instructed to allocate at least 3.4 trillion rubles for demographic development measures and the protection of motherhood and childhood over the next six years, which is 40% more than for the previous similar period 2012-2017.

The President also assessed the work of the government. In the economic part of his address to the Federal Assembly, Putin praised the government for the achieved macroeconomic stability, but the new cabinet will have to solve a more ambitious task - GDP should grow at a rate no lower than the world’s and its volume per capita should increase by 1.5 times by the middle of the next decade.

A significant part of Putin's speech was devoted to the presentation of the latest weapons, which have either already arrived or will become available to the Russian defense department. According to the president, the strategic nuclear forces included 80 new intercontinental ballistic missiles, 102 ballistic missile submarines and three Borei strategic missile submarines. In addition, as the president said, Russia has begun developing a new nuclear-powered cruise missile that is capable of bypassing missile defense systems. And all this “in response to the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the practical deployment of this system both on the territory of the United States and beyond its national borders,” the president emphasized.

A major campaign event that Putin participated in was his meeting with proxies at the end of January. Then he called on everyone to respect their competitors in the elections, but also to promote their agenda, communicate more closely with voters, and discuss unresolved problems with them. The current president also touched upon the topic of education, anonymity and control systems on the Internet, the economy, and the exclusion of Russian athletes from the Olympic Games in South Korea, calling not to turn world sports into “the backyard of a dirty political kitchen.” Putin also spoke about relations with the United States, noting that Russia is not going to “get into trouble” and aggravate the situation, but will patiently build relations with America to the extent that they are ready for it.

The work is carried out not only “in the public field.” As the Kremlin confirmed, Putin may decide to sign new “May decrees.” The final decision, as Peskov assured, rests with Putin, and is currently being discussed. According to the presidential press secretary, the head of state will choose the specific “form of legal registration” of the main tasks.

Putin did not participate in other election events, including debates with other candidates. During the campaign, he did not take leave and continued to work as President of the Russian Federation, this position is also indicated on the ballot.

Make way for the young

Presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak is the youngest contender for the highest post and the only female candidate; she has just reached the age of passive suffrage - according to the law, a citizen of the Russian Federation over 35 years of age can be president. Having nominated himself from the Civil Initiative party, the politician positions himself as a candidate “against everyone.”

In his election platform “123 Difficult Steps,” Sobchak identifies the country’s most important problem as the irremovability of power, the corruption it generates and, as a consequence, the unfair distribution of public goods, the slowdown in technical and social progress, international isolation and the economic crisis. In this regard, the politician proposes to limit the tenure of any elected official at all levels of executive power in one position to two terms established by law during his life.

Sobchak emphasizes that Russia is a European country, and on the world stage it must become a European secular democratic federal state with a market economy that protects the rights and freedoms of citizens. In her opinion, the state should not control, but regulate the economy, and the economy itself should be demilitarized. Sobchak also believes that Russia should become a parliamentary republic.

Another new communist

The program of presidential candidate, chairman of the communist party "Communists of Russia" Maxim Suraikin, according to him, provides for the creation of a socialist state in Russia using the best experience of the USSR. In particular, the politician said that if he wins, he will officially announce a five-year transition period from capitalism to socialism, during which the communist president and the Soviet government will gradually implement the program “Stalin’s Ten Blows on Capitalism and American Imperialism.” Suraikin calls this approach innovative.

According to Suraikin, in the first 100 days of his possible presidency, he will initiate the discussion and then the adoption of a draft of a new Soviet Constitution based on the Brezhnev Constitution of 1977.

Clear position of the business representative

Nominated for the presidency of Russia, Chairman of the Growth Party Boris Titov considers himself the only candidate with a clear, non-contradictory and realistic program for saving Russia from forever falling behind the main countries of the world in terms of development.

According to Titov, it is his election program, based on the “Growth Strategy”, that is that very powerful breakthrough. The politician believes that the welfare of the broad masses is the main reason for the existence of society. “A working person should not be poor!” - one of the main slogans of his campaign.

Since June 2017, Titov has held the position of Commissioner under the President of the Russian Federation for the protection of the rights of entrepreneurs.

Liberal old-timer

One of the founders of the Yabloko party, Grigory Yavlinsky, is taking part in the Russian presidential elections for the third time. Traditionally, a politician’s election program is based on criticism of the current government’s course. During the campaign, he repeatedly noted that his program offers its own unique image of the future.

Yavlinsky believes that the essence of all state policy in the next 30 years should be only one thing - the creation of a powerful economy in Russia. In particular, speaking about depressed regions of the country, where the average salary is 14-16 thousand rubles, the politician proposes to apply a basic income system.

The politician pays a lot of attention to infrastructure in his program, offering in this area his program for gasification of the country, as well as the free transfer of land to citizens for the construction of their own houses. The state should build roads and communications to these houses at its own expense, Yavlinsky believes.