Matviyenko says her decision to join United Russia is correct.

ST. PETERSBURG, November 22 (Itar-Tass) - St. Petersburg Governor
Valentina Matviyenko has marked growing support for the United Russia
Party in the city, and said on Saturday that her decision to join the
party was correct.
On Friday, Matviyenko became party member, and on Saturday a party
congress elected her to the Supreme Council.
"Six years ago residents of St. Petersburg voted for me as for
non-party governor, because I considered it was impossible for me to join
United Russia - giving preference to one concrete political structure.
Although I never concealed that my sympathies were with that party,"
Matviyenko told reporters on Saturday.
"Now, six yeas later a lot has changed in St. Petersburg and in
Russia, and the political system has become more perfect. A civilized
many-party system with opposition parties has practically formed in the
country. In his recent State of the Nation Address, President Dmitry
Medvedev spoke about a need to strengthen the role of non-parliamentary
parties," she said.
"In this situation I acted honestly - formalizing my relations with
the party, with which as a governor I have for a long time had
constructive working relations," Matviyenko stressed.
She believes that most residents of the city see United Russia as
their party, because "its aims are close and understandable, it is not
engaged in populism, but assumes responsibility and does business".
She also believes that the appearance of the party in city parliament
has helped to do away with a confrontation of two branches of power, which
had continued for more than ten years. Owing to a common position and
common approaches to the development of the city, the government and the
legislative assembly have started working on a long-term strategy for St.
Petersburg.
She said that at the party congress on Saturday she made sure that her
choice was correct. "In his speech Vladimir Putin stated that the Russian
government and United Russia will continue implementing targeted measures
aimed at a further restoration and post-crisis development of the economy".
On Saturday, the party congress elected to the Supreme Council four
new members - St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko, Russian Union
of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs President Alexander Shokhin, film
director Fyodor Bondarchuk, and saxophonist Igor Butman.
In reply to a query what programs Matviyenko would supervise, the
chairman of the Supreme Council, Boris Gryzlov, said that several party
project are connected with St. Petersburg. One of them is called St.
Petersburg - Sea Capital of Russia. Gryzlov said the next session of the
Supreme Council would ask Matviyenko to supervise that project.
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