For the Ivorian political party, see Union of Social Democrats (Côte d'Ivoire).

Union of Social Democrats is an all-Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n non-governmental organization founded on October 20, 2007 by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev

Mikhail Gorbachev

Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...

.

The party has its roots in the former Social Democratic Party of Russia

Social Democratic Party of Russia

The Social Democratic Party of Russia was a political party founded in Russia by Mikhail Gorbachev on November 26, 2001. First name of party is: Social Democratic Party of Russia . It was a coalition of several social democratic parties, had approximately 12,000 members, but had no seats in the...

, which lost its official status in April 2007 due to low party membership.

The Union of Social Democrats skipped the 2007 general election

Russian legislative election, 2007

Legislative elections were held in the Russian Federation on 2 December 2007. At stake were the 450 seats in the State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia . Eleven parties were included in the ballot, including Russia's largest party, United Russia, which was supported by...

, in order to concentrate on its ultimate goal: to become a mass political party by 2011.

In September 2008, Gorbachev announced the formation of the Independent Democratic Party of Russia

Independent Democratic Party of Russia

The Independent Democratic Party of Russia was the proposed name of a new liberal party that was announced in late September 2008 to be founded by the former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev and State Duma deputy of Fair Russia Alexander Lebedev...

.

See also

• Independent Democratic Party of Russia
  Independent Democratic Party of Russia
  The Independent Democratic Party of Russia was the proposed name of a new liberal party that was announced in late September 2008 to be founded by the former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev and State Duma deputy of Fair Russia Alexander Lebedev...
  
  
• List of political parties in Russia
• Politics of Russia
  Politics of Russia
  The politics of Russia take place in a framework of a federal semi-presidential republic. According to the Constitution of Russia, the President of Russia is head of state, and of a multi-party system with executive power exercised by the government, headed by the Prime Minister, who is appointed...
  
  
• Social Democratic Party of Russia
  Social Democratic Party of Russia
  The Social Democratic Party of Russia was a political party founded in Russia by Mikhail Gorbachev on November 26, 2001. First name of party is: Social Democratic Party of Russia . It was a coalition of several social democratic parties, had approximately 12,000 members, but had no seats in the...
  
  
• Russian Social-Democratic Union of Youth
  Russian Social-Democratic Union of Youth
  Russian Social-Democratic Union of Youth is a Russian non-governmental organization founded in December 2000 with Mikhail Gorbachev’s support as a youth branch of the Russian United Social Democratic Party and a member of International Union of...