United Russia (Yedinaya Rossia) was formed in April 2001 as a result of a merger of two major political movements of Russia: the centrist Fatherland-All Russia (Otechestvo Vsya Rossia) and pro-Kremlin party Unity led by Emergency Minister Sergey Shoygu an

A Union of Enemies

Back before the December 1999 State Duma election these two blocks were the main contenders on Russia’s political landscape.

Unity, also known as the Bear (in Russian MeDvEd is an acronym of the movements full name Mezhregonalnoye Dvizhenie Edinstvo), was supported by President Boris Yeltsin (who resigned on the New Year’s Eve of 2000), then Prime-Minister Putin and a number of Russian governors. Its main goal was to confront a newly forming Fatherland-All Russia block.

Led by Moscow’s Mayor Yuri Luzhkov and Prime-Minister Yevgeny Primakov Fatherland-All Russia looked powerful enough to dominate the non-communist part of parliament.

The main battlefield was the T.V.

The new shape of Russian politics

Unity won 23.32% of the vote gaining 64 seats in the Duma, coming second after the Communist Party who gained 67 seats. Fatherland-All came a distant third with 13.33% and 37 seats, overcoming the late Union of Right Forces.

By the end of 1999 the two main parties were great foes and any kind of union between them looked unthinkable.

Then the unthinkable happened when on December 31, 1999, millions of Russians turned on their T.V. sets to watch the New Year address from their President, only to learn that they no longer had one.

After Yeltsin’s famous ‘I’m tired’ speech both parties found themselves heavily supporting Putin for President. With him elected the decision to unite looked natural.

Ruled by non-members

Luzhkov, Shoigu and Tatarstan president Mintimer Shaimiev headed the party initially until passing the chairmanship to Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov in November 2002.

In March 2003 the Party Council was elected under Gryzlov’s chairmanship. Surprisingly none of its seven members was actually a member of United Russia.

With Gryzlov as head United Russia had 37% of the vote at the 2003 Duma election and a whopping 64.24% in the 2007 election. United Russia members make up 88 out of the 178 delegates in the Federation Council of Russia.

In May 2008 ex-President Putin accepted the invitation to become the leader of the party.

In 2005 the party changed its symbol to a blue-white bear from its original 2001 brown bear logo.