Well, finally!

I was delighted to learn that the Coordination Council of the Russian Opposition (Coordination Council) is starting to develop a draft of a new Constitution of the Russian Federation. She must certainly put an end to autocracy and absolutism in Russia, and will not exchange the evil Tsar Putin for the good Navalny.

I would like to remind dear readers that I am deeply immersed in this topic and devoted the entire year of 2012 to it. Wrote several articles: “Sources and components of the success of the Russian opposition, or Metal ceramics for rotten teeth” ( http://www.echo.msk.ru/blog/starikov_i/960810-echo/ ), “Freedom and justice, temptations of a false choice " ( http://www.echo.msk.ru/blog/starikov_i/941145-echo/ ), "Are we changing the system or changing leaders?" ( http://www.echo.msk.ru/blog/starikov_i/901508-echo/ ), etc. Constitutional reform was part of my election program in the Constitutional Court. I didn’t get into it, but during the election campaign, together with the 2012 Committee, we held a number of meaningful round tables and conferences.

To paraphrase the classic Huberman, one can complain:

"In the political circle -

age-old habits:

everyone quotes each other

without using quotes."

But I have no claims to authorship; after all, both Liliya Shevtsova and Igor Klyamkin spoke about this vividly and convincingly even earlier.

Believe me, there is no shortage of either the initiative itself or the draft Constitution of the Russian Federation, from Krasnov to Yakunin, Rumyantsev, etc., a sound grain can be found in each of them. The problem is different.

But now I will allow myself to quote the classic: “...theory becomes a material force as soon as it takes possession of the masses” (Karl Marx). The new Constitution must take hold of the masses and become a new contract of social harmony. To do this, it is necessary to launch a nationwide discussion procedure. It is unlikely that we will wait for such a gift from the authorities; we will have to do it ourselves.

Writing another clever text of the fundamental law that changes the system of power from super-presidential to parliamentary is half the battle. It is necessary to attract various socio-political forces of ordinary citizens to discuss this important issue.

If this is not done, then the project of constitutional reform, which is extremely necessary and important for the country, will not capture the masses and will not become a driving material force. It will remain, like all the previous ones, just another tome, interesting for a narrow circle of venerable politicians who, however, have always been far from the people.