Political leader proposes ‘dating agency’ for single parents
There are now more single parents and widows than two-parent families in Russia, and something must be done to “reunite” them, the leader of Russia’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) Leonid Slutsky told a group of students on Monday.
Slutsky, who has led the party since the death of its iconic leader, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, in 2022, suggested that the LDPR could “assemble a demographic puzzle” from lone parents by creating a special nationwide dating program.
“We have already come up with ideas about creating it following the example of Great Britain and Japan, although these may be bad examples, countries that are extremely destructive towards us, but as for their experience in creating an agency for single people, this is promising,” he said.
The politician noted that loneliness was the “main cause of psychological disorders,” according to the governmental statistics agency, Rosstat, and therefore a nationwide program to unite single parents and create new families could have great potential.
Last month, the LDPR also proposed creating an alternative to Tinder after the popular dating app announced its exit from the Russian market. The party has invited people from across the country to attend its in-person dating forum called “LDPR with Love,” which will take place in September.
According to the organizers, the event will be “the largest dating marathon in Russia” and will help people to find their soulmates in their own city and “find a worthy lifelong partner according to common interests.”
“Loneliness is like a disease, you urgently need to become happy,” a statement on the event’s website reads, noting that hundreds of people have already signed up to participate.
Slutsky pointed out that many young people in Russia are seeking to build a career for themselves, but many seem to struggle to find partners. He noted that the LDPR with Love event could create the right conditions for “lonely hearts to meet” and suggested that such events should be held across the country.
