Vladislav Davankov registers himself as a candidate in the 2023 presidential elections of the Russian Federation in Moscow (European)

Vladislav Davankov, Deputy Speaker of the Russian Duma, and a member of the “New People” party, ran for the presidency in 2024, and promised the masses to change the approach in which they had lived for a quarter of a century under Putin’s rule, and preached the abolition of “repressive practices” and guaranteed freedom of the press.

He is known as the owner of large educational and charitable projects and is described as the most liberal candidate. He is pursued by international sanctions because of his support for his country’s war on Ukraine.

Birth and upbringing

Vladislav Davankov was born on February 25, 1984 in the city of Smolensk, 400 kilometers from the Russian capital, Moscow, and located on the banks of the Dnipro River.

His father, Andrei Vadimovich Davankov, was a pilot in the Russian army, and in 2012 he opened an aviation club in the city of Staritsa in the Tver region. As for his paternal grandfather, he is the world-famous chemist Vadim Davankov (1937-2022), who produced more than 400 scientific papers, won several scientific awards, and was nominated for For the Nobel Prize.

Davankov grew up in a family in which science was mixed with entrepreneurship and sports. In addition to his grandfather, a chemist, and his uncle, the famous businessman Alexander Davankov, other members of his family had sports activities. Davankov himself was known for his skill in the game “Go,” which spread in Moscow.

The game of "Go" is similar to chess, but winning in it does not require a complete defeat of the opponent. Davankov won a tournament for this game when he was in the third year at the Faculty of History. As for his cousin Vasilisa Davankov, she is a champion in ice dancing, and won a bronze medal in the World Junior Championships in 2017. 2012, won the silver medal in the 2012 GGB Final, and is the 2012 Russian Junior Champion.

Vladislav Davankov married in 2021 and has two children, Svyatoslav and Nikita.

Davankov and his supporters meet with journalists at the Central Election Commission office in Moscow in late 2023 (Reuters)

Study and educational path

Vladislav Davankov graduated from the School of Economics and Law in 2002, then moved to Moscow to join Moscow State University and study modern and contemporary history, from which he graduated in 2006. He also obtained a doctorate in social sciences in 2008.

In 2014, Davankov obtained a management degree from Skolkovo Moscow Management University.

Davankov began his work career with the spirit of a self-made young man. During his studies, he worked in car washes, as a waiter in clubs, and as a postman, before entering the world of finance and business by establishing a computer company in 2001 with a group of his friends in the city of Smolensk.

His practical successes continued, as he headed the “Faberlik” cosmetics company in 2013, of which his uncle, the businessman Alexander Davankov, was one of its founders. The ambitious nephew succeeded in increasing the company’s sales three-fold during the two and a half years of his presidency.

Vladislav Davankov's immersion in trade and management of economic institutions did not keep him away from charitable projects, as he headed the "Captains of Russia" charitable project in 2017, which was established on the initiative of businessmen who succeeded in opening a number of colleges and training institutes for young people wishing to enter into small projects, where he graduated in that Charitable educational institutions provide thousands of young people who started from them towards the world of self-employment and establishing projects.

In 2018, Davankov moved to work as deputy director of the non-profit organization “Russia, Land of Opportunities”, which was established by decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to support talented young people and attract them from all over the world.

The organization has created more than 10 projects that gave young people the opportunity for entrepreneurship and education. The activities of these projects spread in different countries and concluded cooperation contracts with international institutions. After the success that Davankov achieved in that institution, he left it in 2021.

Davankov attends the pre-election conference of the New People's Party in Moscow on December 24, 2023 (European)

Political experience

Vladislav Davankov entered politics in 2020 by joining the "New People" party, which was founded by his uncle, businessman Alexander Davankov, and Alexei Nechaev. He became Chairman of the party's Central Executive Committee, and also led the party's campaign in the 2021 legislative elections.

The "New People" party was able to win 8% of the votes in the Russian legislative elections in 2021, which enabled Davankov to enter the Duma (House of Representatives) by exceeding the 5% necessary for that, and winning 13 seats out of a total of 450.

Davankov then became a member of the Budget and Taxation Committee and the Committee for Review of Federal Budget Expenditures, and in 2021 he became Deputy Chairman of the State Duma in the elections for its eighth session.

Davankov's ambition did not stop there, as he participated in the local elections for the mayor of the capital, Moscow, which were held from September 8 to 10, 2023, with the nomination of the "New People" party, but he failed to obtain the position by obtaining only 5.34% of the votes. Despite the electoral promises he put forward, and the aspirations through which he tried to focus on the needs of Muscovites, these promises did not satisfy him among Muscovites' voters, as the mayor of the capital, Sergei Sobyanin, was re-elected with 76.39% of the votes.

In December 2023, the New People and Growth parties united at a conference during which they signed their union document and chose the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Vladislav Davankov, to be the youngest candidate in the 2024 Russian presidential elections.

Davankov entered politics in 2020 by joining the “New People” party (Associated Press)

Davankov is on the sanctions lists

Davankov was not immune from the challenge that his country is facing with Western powers due to Russia’s war on Ukraine. He was subjected to sanctions and included on the list of international sanctions imposed by the European Union, the United States, Britain and other countries, because of his support for the war and his support for the cooperation document between Russia and the Donetsk and Luhansk region, and because he... One of the Russian figures known for his support of the course of Russian foreign relations.

The United Kingdom included Davankov on the sanctions list on March 11, 2022, after which Western sanctions against him continued. On September 30, 2022, the United States placed him on its sanctions list, and Canada added his name on February 23, 2023, and along with it everyone went. Australia, Japan, Ukraine and New Zealand.

An idea about his electoral program

Vladislav Davankov emphasizes some liberal ideas, such as electronic freedom, maintaining data privacy, and the necessity of direct public participation in administration. He demands the abolition of school duties and the allocation of 20% of the federal budget to education and health, but he is always keen to show the atrophy of his political project and its survival within the so-called Russia is the “regular opposition,” as he makes statements that echo the authorities’ views, such as the need to differentiate between opponents with constructive projects and conspirators who are thinking of destroying Russia.

Davankov announced his electoral program in 170 points grouped into 18 sections, and the economy was at the forefront of the issues he put in his program, benefiting from his experience in the world of finance and business, and the support of his uncle, the businessman Alexander Davankov.

Strengthening the role of the economy and improving government spending in a number of sectors were at the forefront of the items, as he focused on supporting education and health, and allocated 20% of government spending to these two sectors, citing the queues of patients standing at the doors of hospitals in Russia, and the weak capacity of a number of government hospitals.

He also raised issues through which he tried to win over young people by talking about the challenges they are experiencing. The close age between him and them also helped him address them in a language that he hoped would be closest to their aspirations, making promises to establish a law to protect against layoffs.

His program was not devoid of promises of political reforms and deepening democracy and individual freedom, by strengthening the role of the press and giving it more space, and proposing the idea of ​​direct election of mayors in various parts of the country, and electing judges and police officers in the areas in which they work.

Davankov's electoral program included a fair distribution of funds between Moscow and the rest of Russia's regions, and the issue of those regions benefiting from their wealth.

As for Russian foreign relations, Davankov focused on developing them through negotiations and peace without retreating from Russia's declared positions.

Source: websites