People's Freedom Party

For the eponymous Russian party dissolved in 2012, see People's Freedom Party "For Russia without Lawlessness and Corruption".
People's Freedom Party
Партия народной свободы
President Mikhail Kasyanov
Founded March 14, 1991 (1991-03-14)
Merger of People's Freedom Party, United People's Party of Soldiers' Mothers, Peasant Party of Russia, Forward, Russia!
Headquarters Moscow, Russia
Youth wing Youth committee of Solidarnost
People's Democratic Union of Youth
Membership  (2011) 46,158
Ideology Federalism
Liberal democracy
Economic liberalism
Conservative liberalism
Pro-Europeanism
Anti-communism
Political position Centre-right
European affiliation Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (associate)
International affiliation None
Colours      Dark violet
Slogan "For Russia, with free will and without corruption"[1]
Seats in the State Duma
0 / 450

[2]

Seats in the Regional Parliaments
1 / 3,787
Website
parnasparty.ru

The People's Freedom Party (Russian: Партия народной свободы, Partiya narodnoy svobody), or PARNAS (Russian: ПАРНАС),[3] is a Russian liberal democratic political party.

Founded in November 1990 in the Russian SFSR as a pro-reform and pro-democracy party, the later Republican Party of Russia (RPR) became one of Russia’s oldest political parties. In 2007 the party was denied re-registration and declared to be dissolved by the Russian Supreme Court. It was only after the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the denial of registration was unlawful that it could restore its official registration in May 2012. Today, PARNAS is led by Mikhail Kasyanov and is an associate member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE).[4]

History

Formation

The Republican Party of the Russian Federation was founded in 1990 by members of the Democratic Platform of the CPSU, who had become disillusioned with the party's unwillingness to reform. The foundation of the new party took place in November 1990. Nikolay Lysenko, Stepan Sulakshin and Vyacheslav Shostakovsky were elected as the three co-chairman. The Republican Party joined the Democratic Russia bloc, an umbrella organisation of pro-democracy movements. The Republican Party was close to the Social Democratic Party of Russia, that was founded earlier in 1990. The two parties shared similar program and there were attempts to merge. The Republican Party's program has been characterised as liberal and pragmatic; similarly to the Social Democratic Party, however, the Republican Party had internal factions: ranging from democratic socialist to social liberal to liberal conservative.

1990s

2005-2012 logo of the Republican Party of Russia

The RPR and the SDP formed a united faction (Объединенная депутатская группа РПРФ/СДПР) in the Russian Congress of People's Deputies (later, they fused with similar groups to form the faction 'Left Centre', which was pro-reform but more moderate than groups like the 'Radical Democrats', which advocated radical economic reforms). In contrast to the social democrats, the Republicans participated in the Movement of Democratic Reforms that was formed in summer, 1991 and included mostly liberal-minded former nomeklatura members (Alexander Yakovlev, Gavriil Popov et al.). The Republican Party initially supported both Yegor Gaidar's economic reforms and Boris Yeltsin in his conflict with the Supreme Soviet; later, some of the leaders turned more critical of Yeltsin. The Republican Party left the Democratic Russia bloc in October, 1993 due to disagreements with the bloc's policies.

The party members won altogether 12 seats in the newly elected parliament in 1993: 5 republicans within the Yabloko bloc and 7 from Democratic Choice of Russia. In the 1995 legislative election, party ran within the Pamfilova - Gurev - N.Lysenko bloc, that failed to cross the 5% barrier. Lysenko and Ella Pamfilova won seat through majoritarian district.

At the end of 1998, Nikolay Lysenko, retaining the post of RP chairman, joined Yuri Luzhkov's Otechestvo bloc, whereas a number of the regional organisations of the Republican Party cooperated with small liberal parties like Right Cause or Sergey Kiriyenko's New Force etc.

In 1999, Lysenko won a parliament seat in a majoritarian district. In 2002, the party was reorganized into the Republican Party of Russia.[5]

Dissolution and Reestablishment

The first meeting of the coalition of democratic forces "For Russia without Lawlessness and Corruption" in Moscow on Bolotnaya Square on October 9, 2010
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Case of Republican Party of Russia.

In 2007, the Russian Supreme Court ruled the party to be dissolved, according to Ryzhkov because of the opposition to the government. In 2011 the European Court of Human Rights ruled out the refusal to register the party was unlawful. Since 5 May 2012, the Justice Ministry has restored the state registration of the Republican Party of Russia.

In 2006–2010, the RPR was a member of coalition "The Other Russia". Since 2010 it is a member of the liberal coalition "For Russia without Lawlessness and Corruption" and a member of non-registered People's Freedom Party based on this coalition. People's Freedom Party will continue to work on the base of Republican Party and it may be renamed.

In 2011, party's dissolution was held to be unlawful by the European Court of Human Rights.[6] In January 2012, following the entry into force of the ECtHR’s judgment, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation quashed its 2007 decision to dissolve the party.[7]

Merger with PARNAS and recent elections

On its 15th congress on 16 June 2012 RPR merged with PARNAS and took the name RPR-PARNAS.

In 2012 the RPR-PARNAS participated in regional elections in Barnaul (1 seat), Saratov Oblast, Tuva (2 seats).

In 2015 it was rebranded to just PARNAS.

On 28-29 May 2016 Parnas held primaries, which were won by a majority vote by Viacheslav Maltsev .[8]

Ideology

The ideology of the RPR-PARNAS is liberalism, federalism and human rights. In his interview, Kasyanov said "there is no higher value for the government than human rights." He defined ideological stance of PRP-PARNAS as right-of-center liberalism.[9]

The party considers the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea illegal and has vowed to return control of Crimea back to Ukraine.[10] Hence PARNAS party didn't campaign in Crimea in the 2016 Russian parliamentary elections.[10]

Cooperation

The RPR-PARNAS cooperates with Yabloko, A Just Russia, Civic Platform, Alexei Kudrin, Vladimir Milov and others.

Leaders

Mikhail Kasyanov
Co-chairs
Federal Political Council of RPR-PARNAS

Bureau:

Others:

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Republican Party of Russia – People's Freedom Party.

References

  1. ↑ "В Москве прошел 15-й восстановительный и объединительный съезд Республиканской партии России - Партии народной свободы" (in Russian). Republican Party of Russia. June 16, 2012.
  2. ↑ http://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/news/5001251/rprparnas_proshla_v_gorodskuyu_dumu_barnaula
  3. ↑ "Two Russian parties merge in push against Putin". Reuters. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  4. ↑ http://svobodanaroda.org/news/4361/
  5. ↑ http://www.panorama.ru/works/vybory/party/rprf.html
  6. ↑ "HUDOC Search Page". Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  7. ↑ ВС РФ отменил решение о ликвидации Республиканской партии России. http://rapsinews.ru
  8. ↑ http://www.sarinform.ru/news/2016/05/30/154525 В праймериз "Партии народной свободы" победил Вячеслав Мальцев. Вчера, 30 мая 2016, 11:33 | Политика.
  9. ↑ "OnlineTV.ru - первое интерактивное телевидение". Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  10. 1 2 Russian Opposition Party Will Not Campaign In Annexed Crimea, Radio Free Europe (19 August 2016)

Sources

Articles
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