Putin will attend the United Russia congress

Vladimir Putin will take part in the congress of United Russia scheduled for December 7-8. This will be the first visit of the president in six years to a congress of the ruling party not timed to coincide with the elections, RBC writes . The last time Putin attended such a congress was in May 2012, when Dmitry Medvedev was elected United Russia leader.

According to RBC's source, the current congress will complete the discussions on the renewal of the party, which were held in the regions; there will also be a planned rotation of the supreme and general councils. The President's meeting with United Russia will take place against the backdrop of a fall in the party's rating associated with the pension reform. Putin will come to the congress in order to demonstrate support for United Russia General Council Secretary Andrei Turchak, who has been in office for just over a year, and for the party itself “at a difficult time for it,” sources close to the Kremlin say.

According to sociologists, after the announcement of the increase in the retirement age, United Russia's rating dropped by about 10% to 35%. The fall in ratings was also reflected in the results of the regional elections on 9 September. United Russia's result was lower than in the previous elections in 14 out of 16 regions where campaigns for assembly took place. The fall ranged from 2 to 25% depending on the region.