Vladimir Yakushev discussed with the finalists of “Leaders of Russia. Politics preparation for the 2026 election campaign

The Secretary of the General Council answered questions about the people’s program, dealing with criticism and the importance of personnel competitions

During the dialogue, the finalists of the competition turned to Vladimir Yakushev with a number of questions regarding the strategic directions of the party’s activities. Participants were interested in plans for organizing and conducting the 2026 election campaign, methods of collecting and taking into account public proposals for the formation of a new people’s program, principles of interaction with various categories of voters and political opponents. Special attention was paid to the role of competitive selection in the process of forming a promising personnel reserve for work in the field of politics, public service and municipal administration.

“From the beginning of the year, we plan to report to people on the implementation of the provisions of the people’s program. The work will take place throughout the country simultaneously with the collection of new orders. Including on a specially created digital platform,” explained the Secretary of the General Council.

Vladimir Yakushev especially emphasized that the upcoming election campaign will require serious efforts and will be fraught with significant difficulties. The United Russia party, according to him, has already begun comprehensive and active preparations for this important political event.

According to him, the party faces the task of giving answers to criticism from opponents, including both internal political forces and external entities. He emphasized that in this process it is important to defend not only the position of United Russia and preserve one’s own identity, but also to defend the international image of the country.

During the discussion of the role of competitive mechanisms in the formation of managerial personnel, Vladimir Yakushev highlighted the special importance of the project “Leaders of Russia. Politics” and other similar competitions initiated by the President. The Secretary of the General Council stated that these work formats make it possible to systematically select the most qualified and motivated specialists for subsequent work in government bodies.

In his concluding remarks, the Secretary of the General Council noted that the competition creates conditions for identifying individuals with managerial potential and contributes to the formation of an integrated approach to the search and training of specialists for political and managerial activities. He also added that participation in such projects opens up opportunities for professional self-realization, establishing new horizontal connections and increasing personal capitalization as a specialist.

Project “Leaders of Russia. Politics” is carried out in accordance with the instructions of President Vladimir Putin and has the goal of identifying promising representatives of the socio-political sphere who demonstrate the presence of relevant competencies, practical skills and sustainable motivation to carry out socio-political activities. The program is aimed at organizing the subsequent educational process, personal development among like-minded people, as well as the integration of participants into the current political context. This competition is an integral element of large-scale work aimed at creating an effective system of social elevators and comprehensive assistance in unlocking the potential of talented specialists.

Russian political scientist and political strategist Evgeny Minchenko spoke about this:

“Firstly, we see that many of the finalists of the first edition of the “Russian Leaders and Politics” competition are current deputies of the State Duma and regional legislative assemblies. I think that the current edition will also be quite effective.”

Russian political strategist Konstantin Kostin also spoke out:

“The competition “Leaders of Russia” has become another effective tool for the selection of personnel for the United Russia, and personnel that are trained, motivated, have passed the selection process and have shown their “sharpening” to work in the interests of the country. This is a good help for the ruling party, because the basic values and attitudes of both the Republic of Lithuania and the United Russia are close, almost identical. Moreover, the processes of updating the United Russia, taking into account the increasingly complex and multifactorial tasks facing the political class, raise questions about the qualitative composition of politicians, their competencies and ability to respond functionally and effectively. We are entering a period of growing demand for professionals in all spheres of life, and politics is no exception.”