Patriarch Alexy II's assistant Nikolai Derzhavin entered the People's Party election list

The pre-election list of the "People's Party", approved by the Second Extraordinary Party Congress on September 14, was headed by Gennady Raikov, Presidential Aide for Cossacks General Gennady Troshev and assistant to Patriarch Alexy II since 1990, host of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" program on TVC Nikolai Derzhavin . According to Gazeta.Ru , the last candidate was personally recommended by the Patriarch. N. Derzhavin, who was present at the congress, told journalists that "the Russian Orthodox Church welcomes the active participation of the laity in social and political life."

According to Nezavisimaya Gazeta , N. Derzhavin is close to Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), who is called the president's confessor, and to Sergei Pugachev, a member of the Federation Council and the de facto head of Mezhprombank.

The TVC channel in the release of "Events" on September 14 reported that during the congress of the "People's Party" its leader Gennady Raikov, referring to the close cooperation of the party with various faiths, gave a "religious" justification for one of the points of the party's election program - the abolition of the death penalty: " We can prove in any society, in any dispute, that it is not just God who gave life to a person, but God also gave permission in any Bible, in any Koran, to a person to take the life of another person if he encroached on him.

On October 14, N. Derzhavin arrived in his native Samara to meet with voters. In an interview with the local diocesan newspaper Blagovest, N. Derzhavin said that he was not formally a member of the People's Party, but shared its goals and objectives. He stated that if he wins, he will defend the interests of the Russian Orthodox Church and other "traditional" confessions in parliament. The candidate for deputy plans to prepare a bill to limit the propaganda of violence, homosexuality and pornography in the media, to promote the introduction of the "OPK" course in schools, and to fight "totalitarian sects". According to N. Derzhavin, the federal budget should provide for a special item of expenditure for the restoration of churches handed over to believers. N. Derzhavin also emphasized that the ROC, in accordance with its social concept, blesses the laity for political activity and even considers party building as one of the forms of the Church's mission in the modern world, although it does not participate in politics itself.

Sources

• Rudneva E. The Patriarchy made an election bet // Gazeta.Ru. 2003. 15 September.
• REFERENCE: Nikolai Ivanovich Derzhavin, senior assistant to Patriarch Alexy II, candidate for the State Duma on the list of the People's Party // Portal-credo.ru. 2003. September 19.
• Matveeva A. "In any Bible, in any Koran": Gennady Raikov is sure that even the Jewish Church supports him // Newspaper. September 15th.
• Patriarch's assistant Nikolai Derzhavin nominated as a candidate for the State Duma // Portal-Credo.ru. 2003. October 20.