President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Vasilyev, I always pay close attention to what is happening in the State Duma, especially when it comes to its biggest, leading party faction. What do you think about the current situation? I know that you have been working hard across the board.
Head of the United Russia party faction in the State Duma Vladimir Vasilyev: Mr President, you are well-informed about our work, so I will try not to repeat things you already know. I think that we embarked on a very important process. As I see this, it results from the congress we had during which you supported our people’s programme – it summarises about two million wishes, contributions and mandates we received from the people of Russia. This was followed by your election as President and all the support you received, and then your Address to the Federal Assembly, the executive orders and the instructions you gave.
This was also the first time in our history that the State Duma held a debate on forming the federal Government under the amended Constitution. I believe that this was also very important. You may recall advising us at one of our congresses to steer clear of any populist agendas, and we effectively did so, even if there may have been those who were reluctant to do it. Still, we left the populist aspirations behind us, since we are in the same boat with the Government and bear joint responsibility when it comes to celebrating our success and admitting our shortcomings and failures. There is no doubt about that. We succeeded in this, and it was something that really mattered to us.
Vladimir Putin: You formed the Government.
Vladimir Vasilyev: Yes, this is what this all was about, but it takes some time before this fact dawns on you. You know, in some cases you move forward one step at a time without noticing it. I think that the processes we are currently witnessing in present-day Russia are very interesting and complementary. Therefore, instead of boring you with the figures you know better than I do, I would like to [discuss] this process as I see it.
Currently, we are actively involved in drafting the budget. This is quite a challenging process. Let us say that the Communist Party of the Russian Federation may have a position of its own on several matters, and other parties also stick to their positions. Against this backdrop, we can expect people to support us as long as we deliver, and people see that we act in their interests. For example, Mr Zyuganov may say that they are doing what people want. We respond by saying that we are doing as much as we can in terms of what people want, so as to subsequently do even more.
Vladimir Putin: This way you do not break anything.
Vladimir Vasilyev: Exactly. Otherwise, any hasty, ill-prepared move may destroy the very foundation.
You know, I believe that we have been succeeding in this regard. Let me share an interesting insight with you. I have already briefed you on this topic, but there have been some new developments in this domain. You may remember that we discussed the way State Duma deputies oversee major school renovation projects. In fact, we have monitored projects across 4,300 schools since 2022. This helped drive down tender and procurement costs, accelerate repairs and prevent any major delays. Because every month, a person, a State Duma deputy visited the school every month, accompanied by students and their parents and teachers to see what was going on. A simple solution, but it works.
In this connection, I believe that we have now reached a point where we can accomplish something, especially now that the Accounts Chamber has a new head. This change did not occur spontaneously. At the time, the Acting Head of the Accounts Chamber and I agreed that the Accounts Chamber and the Treasury would be working on a quarterly basis instead of annually, when the construction pit is in place, but nothing else has been done. While we aimed to operate on a monthly basis, that proved impossible, we do not have this opportunity. After we started working on a quarterly basis, we were able to assess the status of each facility; owners or contractors have begun installing web cameras. And we are here – a deputy arrives to check the state of things because he has to report to his constituency, and this provides a level of objective oversight.
This marks a systemic change, and I appreciate your prompt response to it. You noted that those who have made the savings should retain them. This serves as an incentive for honesty and effectiveness, which is commendable.
In this context, we can now analyse various aspects. For example, the public is now raising this issue, and it also concerns me because this is about a facility in Tver, in particular, the Volga River and water purification systems. A very acute issue, very sensitive. My colleagues there are quite proactive and commendable. But there are things there we can draw conclusions on and already monitor them in accordance with the new system of reference. It is indeed possible to monitor facilities, but we understand from the outset how much is there: for example, there is a programme, which we can monitor from the very beginning – you received money at the beginning of the year, what’s the status of that funding, how it is being spent.
We have moved away from populism; our focus now is on earning the people's trust, which calls for achieving tangible results.
People witnessed this during our school renovation projects and during the recent elections. Citizens clearly understand what they are voting for. The same sentiment applies to the special military operation, as we increasingly prioritise the needs of our country over individual interests; current developments in society reveal a tremendous potential.
I believe it is now crucial to take advantage of this consensus between the Government and the State Duma to prevent the Government from diminishing our unique perspective and vitality, allowing for genuine cooperation. For instance, both the Accounts Chamber and the Treasury, they see everything. For example, I was to receive funding, and I got it, which means that we have successfully learnt to monitor the process. I used that funding, and that is objective control. The deputies are ready to implement this approach, we will be doing this – we have no other way, nothing else to demonstrate to the people.
By the way, this has had an extremely positive impact on elections. People visited schools they had renovated themselves, walked through public spaces that were developed at their request, and the streets. Naturally, they reacted as any reasonable person would.
Vladimir Putin: They can see the results, if there are any.
Vladimir Vasilyev: They want to see words translated into actions.
I was very pleased to learn that discussions are now taking place regarding the budget for the next 12 years, rather than for three or six years. I do not recall this happening in our time. If memory serves, you also pointed out the need to have a longer-term perspective, much like the rest of the world, in order to be progressive and forward-thinking.
I believe that, with this approach and systemic oversight, we can be somewhat protected from bribery, theft, unscrupulousness and mismanagement. This will allow us to prevent major losses, respond promptly, and seize assets to transfer them to more efficient owners.
Overall, we have a working atmosphere in the State Duma now, and we engage in debates from time to time.
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