Interfax's Interview

 "I read about various parties in the media and I can say that all of them base their ideology and rhetoric on opposition to United Russia and authorities," he said. None of these parties really aspires for power: "they are either unwilling to take the office or long for power but realize that they won't have it."

 They understand that they will lose the elections and form an opposition, which has an effect on their ideology, Gryzlov said. "This is counterproductive and irresponsible," he added.

 United Russia is satisfied with the popular support, Gryzlov said.

 "We are monitoring polls held by various sociological structures," he said. "This information shows that the party enjoys very extensive support."

 He voiced hope for gaining equal support in the parliamentary elections. "We are quite satisfied with our popularity rating. The support is based on practical deeds of the party," he said.

 St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko may become one of the top three candidates of the United Russia party in the State Duma elections, Gryzlov said..
 "The Bureau of the party's Supreme Council offered Valentina Ivanovna [Matviyenko] to join party candidates in the State Duma elections. She gave her consent," he said.

 Asked whether Matviyenko may become one of the top three party candidates, Gryzlov said, "Certainly, there is such a chance."

 The party will hold a congress on October 1-2, and candidates will be named on the second day of the congress, he said.
 In the opinion of Gryzlov, the top three candidates of other political parties may include little known persons. "Even State Duma deputies are frequently asking the "who is it?" question. One cannot say that all parties will have celebrities on their top three lists," he said.

 Boris Gryzlov has said members of his party know what mistakes a party should not make in order to retain political leadership.

 "When our faction held the first meeting at the State Duma after the summer vacation, I warned that we have no right to resort to populism during the election campaign," Gryzlov said.

 Meeting with members of the international debate club Valdai in Sochi on September 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin called United Russia the leading political force in the country. Still, Putin also noted that United Russia would only be able to retain its leadership position if it avoided making political mistakes.

 United Russia believes devotion to populism would be the most serious danger for the party, Gryzlov said. "I understand that when a politician who is not very confident in himself or the political group he represents speaks to an audience of 100 or 200 voters, he is tempted to try to make them like him and he starts to say what the audience wants to hear. This is a mistake," Gryzlov said.

 "We are orienting our members and activists toward promising only what we can really do. This is what distinguishes us from others. This is what a policy of real deeds means," Gryzlov said.

More Interfax’s interviews...