The Nizhny Novgorod delegation participated in the XXIII Congress of "United Russia."

      At the Congress, proposals for the People's Program were discussed and candidate lists for the State Duma elections were approved. The delegation from the Nizhny Novgorod region, headed by the governor and secretary of the regional branch of "United Russia," Gleb Nikitin, participated in the first stage of the XXIII Party Congress in Moscow. The Congress is taking place ahead of the elections for deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation. The Nizhny Novgorod region was represented by 9 delegates elected at the regional conference: Andrey Gneushev, Alexey Antonov, Pavel Karasev, Yuri Shalabaev, Alexander Shchelokov, Tatyana Berseneva, Yulia Garevskaya, Maxim Rebrov, and Vasily Naydenko, as well as secretaries of primary branches and winners of the preliminary voting – a total of over 40 people. The plenary session of the Congress was attended by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. The head of state expressed confidence that "United Russia" will once again demonstrate leadership in the election campaign, will align its steps with the opinions of the people, and will engage in direct dialogue with voters, and also wished the party success in the upcoming elections. At the Congress, representatives of the regions discussed proposals for a new People's Program, which the party will use in the elections in 2026. "Currently, over 150,000 proposals have already been received from residents of the Nizhny Novgorod region for the new People's Program. People are asking for new clinics to be built, for the development of a digital healthcare system, and for employment programs for participants of the Special Military Operation and people with disabilities. These are live, concrete requests that will form the basis of our next decisions. Over the past five years, the program has already proven its effectiveness: new rural health posts have been opened in the region, hundreds of public spaces have been improved, dozens of schools and kindergartens have been built, sports facilities have been created, and transport infrastructure has been updated. All implemented initiatives confirm that the People's Program works and that the requests of residents are heard. I am confident that the new proposals from the residents of Nizhny Novgorod will also become a reliable foundation for the updated document," said the governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region, Gleb Nikitin. The chairman of the "United Russia" party, Dmitry Medvedev, identified the main challenges that will be included in the updated People's Program. Among them are: demographics, employment, uneven regional development, economic pressure, technology development, preservation of history and culture, and ensuring the security of the Fatherland. "Work on the new edition of the People's Program has been ongoing for more than three months. Residents of Nizhny Novgorod have actively participated in the discussion: tens of thousands of proposals have been received, many of which coincide with initiatives from residents of other regions. The main provisions of the program are being formed based on documents of state strategic planning, presidential decrees, government decisions, and norms of federal legislation. Each item of the People's Program will be backed by budgetary rubles — these are not expectations, but concrete steps calculated until 2030. After the key directions are approved at the congress, work on the document will be completed together with the residents of our region," noted State Duma deputy Yuri Stankevich. Special attention was paid at the plenary session to social support for participants of the Special Military Operation, large families, and student families, the development of rural areas, and digitalization. "One of the party's areas of work is the comprehensive development of public spaces. In the Nizhny Novgorod region, the initiative budgeting project "You Decide" has been operating for thirteen years. It helps engage residents in discussions about improvements, hear their priorities, and understand what they want to change in their cities and villages. But it is important that people do not limit themselves to tasks for the coming year, but lay down their requests for the five-year plan. By being in constant dialogue, we are forming a People's Program that will become the basis for the work of deputies of the Legislative Assembly and the State Duma in the new convocation," said the first deputy chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod City Duma, head of the "United Russia" deputy group, Yevgeny Kostin. A key decision of the Congress was the approval of the list of candidates from "United Russia" for the upcoming elections to the State Duma. The Nizhny Novgorod region, along with the Ryazan region and the Mari El Republic, entered regional group No. 20. The group is headed by: Gleb Nikitin, governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region; Pavel Malkov, governor of the Ryazan region; Andrey Makarov, State Duma deputy. The list of candidates for the regional group also includes: Roman Lyubarsky, State Duma deputy; Pavel Karasev, deputy chairman of the government, minister of internal and regional policy of the Nizhny Novgorod region; Alexander Borisov, deputy head of the "United Russia" faction in the State Duma; Ilya Zotov, chairman of the "Passenger Union"; Alexey Antonov, deputy chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod region, head of the "United Russia" faction; Nikolai Strelkov, chairman of the Public Chamber of Ryazan; Inna Lebedeva, chief physician of the Ryazan hospital; Mikhail Shvetsov, rector of Mari State University. Candidates for single-member electoral districts approved include: Yuri Stankevich, State Duma deputy – district No. 131 (Nizhny Novgorod); Yevgeny Kostin, head of the "United Russia" deputy group of the Nizhny Novgorod City Duma – district No. 132 (Prioksky); Dmitry Grachev, deputy minister of internal and regional policy of the Nizhny Novgorod region – district No. 133 (Avtozavodsky); Yulia Garevskaya, chief physician of hospital No. 29 in Nizhny Novgorod, deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod region – district No. 134 (Kanavinsky); Artem Kavinov, State Duma deputy – district No. 135 (Borsky). Earlier, candidates for inclusion in the lists were determined by the residents of the country during an open nationwide preliminary voting. More than 10 million people participated in it. "For me, the decision to participate in the elections for deputies of the State Duma is a significant step. I am a doctor, and with 36 years in medicine, my extensive experience in organizational work has led me to understand the tasks in medicine that require solutions at the state level. The status of a State Duma deputy for me is primarily an opportunity to represent and defend the interests of residents of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Much still needs to be done; healthcare must become even more quality and accessible for residents in every settlement. After all, healthcare is one of the priorities of the People's Program of "United Russia." Together with the strong and active team of our Governor Gleb Nikitin, together with the "United Russia" party, we will succeed," said Yulia Garevskaya. In August, the second stage of the Congress will take place, where the People's Program for five years will be finally approved. "I remember well how the People's Program was formed last time, and as the head of a municipality, I saw its implementation on the ground. Now, together with colleagues, we are looking for answers to important questions: which projects will continue, which will receive new development, and which accents will become key in our work in the near future. The Congress determines the strategy for further development, and I am confident that together, relying on the support of the people, we can move forward in line with the course of the President of Russia," noted the deputy secretary of the Nizhny Novgorod regional branch of the "United Russia" party for working with local party branches, the mayor of the city of Arzamas, Alexander Shchelokov.

      The Nizhny Novgorod delegation returned to the region with an understanding that there is significant work ahead to implement the requests of residents and achieve the goals set at the Congress. The results of participation in the Congress were summarized by the chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod region, Yevgeny Lyulin. "The People's Program of "United Russia" for the next five years will grow both quantitatively and qualitatively. Over the past years, people have seen the results and understood that their requests can influence politics, legislation, construction, and all areas of life. Therefore, in the new edition of the People's Program, we will see an increase in social support measures for participants of the Special Military Operation, student and single-parent families, digitalization projects, strengthening the protection of labor rights of citizens, support for large families, and assistance to rural areas. This and much more was discussed by delegates at the first stage of the "United Russia" congress in Moscow. The party has also determined its list of candidates for the elections to the ninth convocation of the State Duma. It is they, in cooperation with the deputy corps of the regions, who will need to create a legal framework for solving new tasks," he said.

      Let us recall that the People's Program is being formed in anticipation of the September elections for deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and will