Regional administrations and United Russia branches were given turnout targets for the ruling party’s primaries ahead of State Duma elections, Meduza reported.
According to a source in United Russia’s leadership, two regional officials and political consultants working on the party’s campaign, most regions were expected to deliver turnout above 10 percent. In some regions, targets ranged from 12 to 14 percent.
Unlike conventional internal party elections, United Russia’s primaries are open to people who are not party members. The vote therefore gives the authorities an opportunity to test large-scale mobilization infrastructure ahead of the federal campaign.
Meduza’s sources said particular attention was being paid to so-called corporate mobilization — bringing employees of state institutions and state-owned companies into the voting process.
The outlet also reported complaints from Russians who said they were being pressured to register for the primaries. United Russia officially describes the preliminary vote as a mechanism for selecting party candidates.
The report is based on original reporting by Meduza. Original publication:
https://meduza.io/feature/2026/04/30/chto-takoe-praymeriz-edinoy-rossii-mozhet-hotya-by-na-nih-suschestvuet-konkurentsiya