Translated material
Foot forward
"A Just Russia" does not give up hopes of becoming the second party in power
The Social Revolutionaries took heart. Last week, rumors intensified that the administration of the new president was thinking about making A Just Russia the “second party in power.” When the organization was just being created , the then deputy head of the presidential administration of Vladimir Putin, and now the first deputy head of the presidential administration of Dmitry Medvedev, Vladislav Surkov, called this party “the second leg of the Kremlin.”However, the agreement of then President and now Prime Minister of the country Vladimir Putin to head first the Duma campaign of United Russia, and then the party itself, greatly undermined this “second leg of the Kremlin.” And finally, new hope illuminated the party horizon of the Social Revolutionaries.
To begin with , Mr. Putin, at a meeting with United Russia deputies last Sunday, called on them to develop a multi-party system. “We need to be the initiator of dialogue and discussions, support all the best from the legislative baggage of other parliamentary forces,” the prime minister said. He praised United Russia for giving leadership positions in six Duma committees to representatives of other parties: “This is another step towards building a real multi-party system and civilized political competition.”
The acceptance of the party into the Socialist International added joy and optimism to the Fair Russians. The “Socialist Revolutionaries” have been striving to join this influential organization in Europe, uniting more than 160 socialist parties and movements from many countries, for a long time. Now the dream has come true. Moreover, A Just Russia has become the only party that represents Russia in the Socialist International.
“Rumors that A Just Russia should eventually become the party in power, fortunately, are not exaggerated,” Gennady Gudkov, deputy leader of the A Just Russia faction in the State Duma, told reporters last week. “Today, the country’s ruling elite has begun to clearly understand that without a civilized Social Democratic Party, Russia is doomed to unstable development. This understanding makes the top officials of the state think that United Russia will soon be replaced by another party with an ideological basis recognized throughout the world,” Gennady Gudkov told reporters. The deputy is convinced that in addition to the highest echelons of power, other representatives of the political elite, including governors, ministers and mayors, should think about this. “It’s time to change your one-sided political position to cooperation with our party. The future is ours! - says the parliamentarian.
Speaking about the further development of A Just Russia, Mr. Gudkov noted that the party will become larger and will acquire its own ideological clubs - in the manner of those that operate within United Russia.
However, the leader of A Just Russia, Speaker of the Federation Council Sergei Mironov, does not like the expression “party in power” itself. “Forget me. What we definitely don’t want to become is the second party in power. There is power, and there is a party,” said Mr. Mironov, answering a question from a Vremya Novostei correspondent. - I would not like the party to have power in our country again. I wouldn’t want to make such a mistake a second time, I wouldn’t want my Motherland to take this path again.” In general, the two-party system seems to the speaker to be quite stable, but, in his opinion, it must be reached through an evolutionary path.
“I don’t see much practical sense in making A Just Russia the second party in power, because the presidential administration is gravitating toward this path,” Alexander Konovalov, president of the Institute for Strategic Assessments, told a Vremya Novostey correspondent. - After all, the disadvantages of the essentially one-party system that we have now have become clear. The party in power is huge, you can’t really rely on it, but you have to feed it. Pleasure is expensive and useless.”
Sergei Mironov also denied Gennady Gudkov’s words about the appearance of clubs in A Just Russia. “No clubs will be created, and general discussion will become part of the life of the party,” said the chairman of the Federation Council.
However, the consolidation of the party turned out to be a reality. Yesterday, an organization with a friendly name, which has not participated in any election campaigns for a long time, officially joined the ranks of Just Russia, headed by Alexei Podberezkin. However, this is far from being the repeatedly announced “Socialist Revolutionaries” unification with the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, which would really turn “A Just Russia” into the second most important party in the country.