United Russia Party welcomes opposition in primaries.

8/7 Tass 138

MOSCOW, July 8 (Itar-Tass) — The United Russia Party welcomes participation in the primaries of the opposition, but warns that they will have to leave alone their party membership, Chairman of the State Duma told reporters on Friday.

“There is a tendency: members of various parties, including opposing parties, must be disappointed in their own parties and join the /All-Russian/ Popular Front /APF/,” he said. “This is a normal phenomenon, because the APF is a wide coalition of progressive forces, of those who want to see our country a leader in all international positions.”

“But there is an outstanding issue, which is regulated by the legislation – whether those representatives of other parties may participate in our elections,” he continued. “We have early popular primaries, where either the United Russia or no other parties may participate.”

“This is why, should there be a desire to participate in the primaries, it would be necessary to leave the parties these representatives belong to,” Gryzlov explained. “We, surely, welcome representatives of other parties who expand our coalition.”

Earlier, media reported that some deputies of the State Duma, members of opposing Communist, Liberal-Democratic and Just Russia parties, planned to participate in the primaries, which are organised jointly by the United Russia and the All-Russian Popular Front, in order to be able to participate in the December parliamentary elections on behalf of the United Russia Party.

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