Right Cause
Encyclopedia
Right Cause is a political party
in Russia with representatives in several local legislatures. Founded on 18 February 2009 as a merger of the Union of Right Forces
, Civilian Power
and the Democratic Party of Russia
, the party's main policy stances are liberal free market economy, democracy and protecting the rights of the middle class. Although widely regarded as a pro-Kremlin party, it has already found itself in opposition to the presidential administration on several occasions.
(SPS), Civilian Power
and Democratic Party of Russia
. The SPS and Civilian Power were both regarded as liberal parties, supporting free market reforms, protection of private property and a decentralized federal government. The Democratic Party also supported liberal values, but its programme was more conservative and nationalistic.
By 2008, the three parties were all in a state of decline. While SPS had achieved 8.7% of votes in the 1999 Duma elections, in the 2007 it only received 0.96%. Support for the Democratic Party (0.13%) and Civilian Power (1.05%) in the 2007 election was also low. The SPS—highly critical of Vladimir Putin
and United Russia
in its 2007 election campaign—was losing voters because Putin had adopted many of the market reforms championed by SPS, and also because companies started to withdraw their financial support from the party. With falling support and votes being lost to United Russia
, the three parties, among others, considered mergers in order to survive. The decision to initiate the merger was made in October 2008, and in November the unification was completed. The new party, called Right Cause, was officially registered in 18 February 2009. The party's creation was supported by the presidential administration of Dmitry Medvedev
.
The merger was opposed by SPS founding member and former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov
, who believed the new party would not offer true political opposition, while another SPS founding member Anatoly Chubais
, widely considered architect of Russia's privatization programme, voiced strong support for the merger, saying that "a political party is one that participates in elections with chances to win."
, founder of leading mobile phone retailer Yevroset and anticipated head of Right Cause for the Moscow region. The warrant was issued in absentia, as Chichvarkin is currently in London, England. Right Cause set up a website, Chichvarkin.info, to proclaim its support for Chichvarkin, and according to The Moscow Times
, the party suggests that the legal action is "an example of the authorities unjustly targeting business."
In May, 2011, the billionaire businessman Mikhail Prokhorov
announced a plan to join the leadership of the Right Cause. Prohkorov has promised to make Right Cause Russia's second largest party on a pro-business platform that will "totally transform" the country. In a television interview, Prokhorov said: "we have got to return to a 14 percent tax, leave small business alone, simplify paperwork and let small business work in peace ... I think we won't recognize the country in five to 10 years." On June 25, 2011, Prokhorov was elected to the leadership of the party at the Right Cause Party Congress of 2011. At the acceptance ceremony, Prokhorov officially criticized the present ruling tandem of Medvedev-Putin, the structure of Russia, and vowed to bring Russia back to a stable development course. In September, 2011, Prokhorov said he had quit Right Cause, "condemning it as a 'puppet Kremlin party' micromanaged by a 'puppet master' in the president’s office ..., Vladislav Y. Surkov," according to a report in The New York Times.
On 23 September 2011, the International Democrat Union
suspended the associate member status of the Right Cause, lamenting that the party was under "direct control" of the Kremlin and all "liberal voices" had been silenced. Instead, the re-founded Union of Right Forces
was made a new associate member.
reforms, privatization, and protecting the interests of the middle class. The party supports "a broad application of the elective principle", including direct elections of mayors and a gradual return to elections of regional governors. It also supports lowering the threshold for election into the State Duma
from 7% to 5%. The party platform calls for more control to the legislative branch over the executive branch, openness and transparency in the government, and freedom of information. In the economy, the party supports a model entitled "Capitalism for All", which emphasizes developing domestic demand as the main prerequisite for economic diversification, modernization, and the growth of domestic production. The main stimulus for the economy should not be cheap labour, but high income levels.
According to a 2008 research by Colton, Hale and McFaul, the main policy stances associated with the party by the electorate are liberal economy, pro-Westernism and democracy.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Russia with representatives in several local legislatures. Founded on 18 February 2009 as a merger of the Union of Right Forces
Union of Right Forces
The Union of Right Forces, or SPS , was a Russian democratic opposition party associated with free market reforms, privatization, and the legacy of the 'Young Reformers' of the 1990s: Anatoly Chubais, Boris Nemtsov, and Yegor Gaidar. Nikita Belykh was the last party's leader...
, Civilian Power
Civilian Power
Civilian Power was a liberal political party in the Russian Federation, which prior to February 2007 was called Free Russia.According to data from Rosregistration, the party has 55,063 members...
and the Democratic Party of Russia
Democratic Party of Russia
The Democratic Party of Russia or DPR is a former Russian political party that existed between 1990 and 2008. It was founded by Nikolai Travkin. It initially featured Stanislav Govorukhin and Sergey Glazyev, was a prominent democratically-oriented party, member of the Democratic Russia coalition,...
, the party's main policy stances are liberal free market economy, democracy and protecting the rights of the middle class. Although widely regarded as a pro-Kremlin party, it has already found itself in opposition to the presidential administration on several occasions.
Creation
Right Cause was founded in November 2008 as a merger of three parties: Union of Right ForcesUnion of Right Forces
The Union of Right Forces, or SPS , was a Russian democratic opposition party associated with free market reforms, privatization, and the legacy of the 'Young Reformers' of the 1990s: Anatoly Chubais, Boris Nemtsov, and Yegor Gaidar. Nikita Belykh was the last party's leader...
(SPS), Civilian Power
Civilian Power
Civilian Power was a liberal political party in the Russian Federation, which prior to February 2007 was called Free Russia.According to data from Rosregistration, the party has 55,063 members...
and Democratic Party of Russia
Democratic Party of Russia
The Democratic Party of Russia or DPR is a former Russian political party that existed between 1990 and 2008. It was founded by Nikolai Travkin. It initially featured Stanislav Govorukhin and Sergey Glazyev, was a prominent democratically-oriented party, member of the Democratic Russia coalition,...
. The SPS and Civilian Power were both regarded as liberal parties, supporting free market reforms, protection of private property and a decentralized federal government. The Democratic Party also supported liberal values, but its programme was more conservative and nationalistic.
By 2008, the three parties were all in a state of decline. While SPS had achieved 8.7% of votes in the 1999 Duma elections, in the 2007 it only received 0.96%. Support for the Democratic Party (0.13%) and Civilian Power (1.05%) in the 2007 election was also low. The SPS—highly critical of Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
and United Russia
United Russia
United Russia is a centrist political party in Russia and the largest party in the country, currently holding 315 of the 450 seats in the State Duma. The party was founded in December 2001, through a merger of the Unity and Fatherland-All Russia parties...
in its 2007 election campaign—was losing voters because Putin had adopted many of the market reforms championed by SPS, and also because companies started to withdraw their financial support from the party. With falling support and votes being lost to United Russia
United Russia
United Russia is a centrist political party in Russia and the largest party in the country, currently holding 315 of the 450 seats in the State Duma. The party was founded in December 2001, through a merger of the Unity and Fatherland-All Russia parties...
, the three parties, among others, considered mergers in order to survive. The decision to initiate the merger was made in October 2008, and in November the unification was completed. The new party, called Right Cause, was officially registered in 18 February 2009. The party's creation was supported by the presidential administration of Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
.
The merger was opposed by SPS founding member and former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov
Boris Nemtsov
Boris Efimovich Nemtsov is a Russian politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of Russia from 1997 to 1998. He was a co-founder of the Russian political party Union of Right Forces and is an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin.-Early life:...
, who believed the new party would not offer true political opposition, while another SPS founding member Anatoly Chubais
Anatoly Chubais
Anatoly Borisovich Chubais is a Russian politician and business manager who was responsible for privatization in Russia as an influential member of Boris Yeltsin's administration. From 1998 to 2008 he was the head of the state owned electrical power monopoly RAO UES. The 2004 survey by...
, widely considered architect of Russia's privatization programme, voiced strong support for the merger, saying that "a political party is one that participates in elections with chances to win."
Controversy
Despite allegations the party is too close to the Kremlin be a real opposition party, Right Cause has already been involved in controversy, finding itself in opposition to the authorities. In January 2009, an arrest warrant was issued for Yevgeny ChichvarkinYevgeny Chichvarkin
Yevgeny Alexandrovich Chichvarkin is a well-known Russian businessman and, to a lesser extent, politician. He founded the largest Russian mobile phone retailer, Yevroset. He was a member of the Right Cause political party and was expected to become chairman of its Moscow section. Chichvarkin...
, founder of leading mobile phone retailer Yevroset and anticipated head of Right Cause for the Moscow region. The warrant was issued in absentia, as Chichvarkin is currently in London, England. Right Cause set up a website, Chichvarkin.info, to proclaim its support for Chichvarkin, and according to The Moscow Times
The Moscow Times
The Moscow Times is an English-language daily newspaper published in Moscow, Russia since 1992. The circulation in 2008 stood at 35,000 copies and the newspaper is typically given out for free at places English-language "expats" attend, including hotels, cafés and restaurants, as well as by...
, the party suggests that the legal action is "an example of the authorities unjustly targeting business."
First elections
The first major election where Right Cause took part was the Moscow City Duma elections in October 2009. The party was predicted to receive between 5-8% of the vote, but only managed to register one candidate, who was soundly defeated. Many commentators that assumed that this was part of an effort by city officials of Yury Luzhkov's administration to restrict the chances of opposition parties, many Right Cause members blamed the party leadership for not properly organizing the registration and campaign.Current status
The party currently has representation in several city legislatures, but lacks representation on the regional level. According to a survey conducted in March 2008, less than 2% of the Russian population are loyalists of the party. In April 2011, support for Right Cause was 2.9%. The party's performance has been a disappointment, with analysts attributing its low popularity to a lack of a charismatic leader.In May, 2011, the billionaire businessman Mikhail Prokhorov
Mikhail Prokhorov
Mikhail Dmitrievitch Prokhorov is a Russian billionaire entrepreneur and owner of the American basketball team, the New Jersey Nets. After graduating from the Moscow Finance Institute he made his name in the financial sector and went on to become one of Russia's leading industrialists in the...
announced a plan to join the leadership of the Right Cause. Prohkorov has promised to make Right Cause Russia's second largest party on a pro-business platform that will "totally transform" the country. In a television interview, Prokhorov said: "we have got to return to a 14 percent tax, leave small business alone, simplify paperwork and let small business work in peace ... I think we won't recognize the country in five to 10 years." On June 25, 2011, Prokhorov was elected to the leadership of the party at the Right Cause Party Congress of 2011. At the acceptance ceremony, Prokhorov officially criticized the present ruling tandem of Medvedev-Putin, the structure of Russia, and vowed to bring Russia back to a stable development course. In September, 2011, Prokhorov said he had quit Right Cause, "condemning it as a 'puppet Kremlin party' micromanaged by a 'puppet master' in the president’s office ..., Vladislav Y. Surkov," according to a report in The New York Times.
On 23 September 2011, the International Democrat Union
International Democrat Union
The International Democrat Union, abbreviated to IDU, is a centre-right international alliance of conservative and liberal-conservative political parties. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, the IDU comprises 45 full or associate members...
suspended the associate member status of the Right Cause, lamenting that the party was under "direct control" of the Kremlin and all "liberal voices" had been silenced. Instead, the re-founded Union of Right Forces
Union of Right Forces
The Union of Right Forces, or SPS , was a Russian democratic opposition party associated with free market reforms, privatization, and the legacy of the 'Young Reformers' of the 1990s: Anatoly Chubais, Boris Nemtsov, and Yegor Gaidar. Nikita Belykh was the last party's leader...
was made a new associate member.
Party platform
Right Cause positions itself as a pro-business party in favour of free marketFree market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
reforms, privatization, and protecting the interests of the middle class. The party supports "a broad application of the elective principle", including direct elections of mayors and a gradual return to elections of regional governors. It also supports lowering the threshold for election into the State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
from 7% to 5%. The party platform calls for more control to the legislative branch over the executive branch, openness and transparency in the government, and freedom of information. In the economy, the party supports a model entitled "Capitalism for All", which emphasizes developing domestic demand as the main prerequisite for economic diversification, modernization, and the growth of domestic production. The main stimulus for the economy should not be cheap labour, but high income levels.
According to a 2008 research by Colton, Hale and McFaul, the main policy stances associated with the party by the electorate are liberal economy, pro-Westernism and democracy.
Leaders
- Georgiy Bovt Journalist
- Leonid Gozman Former Leader of «Union of Right ForcesUnion of Right ForcesThe Union of Right Forces, or SPS , was a Russian democratic opposition party associated with free market reforms, privatization, and the legacy of the 'Young Reformers' of the 1990s: Anatoly Chubais, Boris Nemtsov, and Yegor Gaidar. Nikita Belykh was the last party's leader...
» - Boris Titov Leader of the civic organisation «Delovaya Rossiya» (until 24 December 2009).
Regional Leaders
- MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
- Igor Trunov - Moscow Region - Boris Nadezhdin
- Primorskiy Krai - Nikolai MorozovNikolai MorozovNikolay Morozov may refer to:*Nikolai Alexandrovich Morozov , Russian scientist and revolutionary*Nikolai Morozov , figure skater*Nikolai Petrovich Morozov , Russian football coach...
- Amur Region - Sergei KukharenkoSergei KukharenkoSergei Kukharenko is a Russian political and public activist, the leader of Amur Oblast regional department of the Right Cause right-wing liberal political party, member of the federal presidium of "People's Anticorruption Movement"....
- Mordovia Republic - Stanislav Aranovich
- Tyumen Region - Alexander Bezdelov
- Nizhegorodskaya Oblast — Denis Labuza