Translated material
Program "100 days"
Mikhail Kasyanov began his presidential campaign
Last Saturday , the congress of the People's Democratic Union (PDU) nominated its leader, former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, as a presidential candidate. The nomination was not ignored by Kasyanov’s ideological enemies - representatives of the pro-Kremlin youth movements “Nashi” and “Young Russia”, who staged their own protests at the congress.Young Russia activists appeared at the Cosmos Hotel, where the event was taking place, long before the congress. They put on paper fangs, pretending to be vampires, and then painted the water in the fountain with red paint and began to swim in it until, at the request of the hotel administration, they were driven away by riot police. Then “Young Russia” was replaced by “Nashi”. They rented rooms in Cosmos in advance and, dressed in white coats, went to the concert hall. However, they were not allowed there by the convention security. A scuffle broke out, riot police officers arrived, and “Nashi” began to explain to them that they were orderlies and wanted to provide medical assistance to the patient Mikhail Kasyanov. But the riot police did not heed the requests of the “orderlies”.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kasyanov introduced the congress delegates to his election program. The former prime minister said that for him “when formulating priority program measures, the priority of the social sphere is obvious.” In addition, Mikhail Kasyanov promised to reform law enforcement agencies and completely abolish conscription into the army, transferring it exclusively to a contract basis. There was a lot of talk about free healthcare, education, housing, income growth for public sector employees, redistribution of oil and gas income - everything that traditionally attracts left-wing voters. Mr. Kasyanov also noted that if elected head of state, he would remove barriers to registering political parties. As for foreign policy, according to the leader of the VAT, “Russia has no alternative to developing normal relations with the United States.”
If he wins the 2008 presidential election, Mikhail Kasyanov promised to present a 100-day program for the development of Russia, which will outline actions for every day. “We will show that irreversible things can be done in 100 days,” said the presidential candidate.
The NDS congress was also attended by Mikhail Kasyanov’s comrades in the opposition coalition “The Other Russia” - ex-world chess champion Garry Kasparov and leader of the banned National Bolshevik Party Eduard Limonov . In the hall one could also see the former head of the Central Bank, Viktor Gerashchenko, who also recently announced his intention to take part in the presidential elections. Like Mikhail Kasyanov, he is a potential candidate for support of the Other Russia. However, the opposition coalition has not yet developed mechanisms for selecting an opposition candidate. But Kasyanov and Gerashchenko claim that they are on friendly terms and will not set each other up.
From the rostrum of the congress, Mikhail Kasyanov criticized his former boss, current President Vladimir Putin, whom he had not yet personally scolded. “It is already possible to sum up some results of Vladimir Putin’s presidency. Of course, the president bears the main share of responsibility for the current political course and its consequences. President Putin’s attempt to modernize the country has completely failed,” said the head of the VAT. He also stated that if he is elected, “everyone who is now attacking the freedoms and rights of citizens will bear political, moral, and those who deserve it, legal responsibility.”
As a result, the congress of the People's Democratic Union decided to support the nomination of Mikhail Kasyanov for the presidency. However, the official nomination of candidates will not take place until December - after the announcement of the start of the official election campaign.