# United Russia United Russia (Единая Россия) is the dominant political party in the Russian Federation, holding a constitutional supermajority in the [[State Duma]] since 2007 and controlling the vast majority of regional governments. It was founded in 2001 as a merger of pro-Kremlin political movements and serves as [[Vladimir Putin]]'s primary vehicle for legislative control, though Putin has never formally been a party member — maintaining a studied distance that allows him to position himself as above partisan politics while the party executes his agenda. ## Function United Russia is not a party in the Western sense — it does not generate policy platforms, conduct internal ideological debates, or serve as a vehicle for competing political ambitions. It is an administrative apparatus for translating presidential directives into legislation and for distributing patronage. Regional elites join United Russia because membership signals loyalty to the Kremlin and provides access to resources; the party's electoral performance is managed through a combination of media dominance, administrative pressure on voters, and selective exclusion of opposition candidates. The party's domestic popularity has fluctuated — it polled below 30% in approval ratings during 2011–2012 protests — but its electoral results consistently exceed its genuine support due to the managed-election system. The 2021 Duma elections produced a United Russia supermajority despite widespread reports of ballot stuffing and voter intimidation documented by independent observers and Alexei Navalny's organization. ## See Also - [[Vladimir Putin]] — the party's patron - [[Russian Government]] — the system it serves - [[State Duma]] — where it holds a supermajority - [[Putinism]] — the ideology it implements