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The party also intends to fight for improving the public health system and the judicial system

The party also intends to fight for improving the public health system and the judicial system
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, April 8 (Itar-Tass) — The Russian Party of Pensioners (RPP) disbanded in 2006 in connection with the establishment of the Just Russia Party, resumes its operations.

This decision was adopted on Saturday by the congress of the organization Russian Pensioners for Justice where it was announced on transforming this non-government structure into a party.

Member of the State Duma Igor Zotov who already announced about his withdrawal from Just Russia, has become the RPP leader. “The experience of the party’s accession to Just Russia has turned to be a failure,” he told the congress, underlining that Just Russia has not justified pensioners’ hopes.

According to Zotov, the restored party feels special alarm over the state of the pension system. “We shall insist on all-round examination of any proposals in the framework of a planned pension reform,” Zotov said, noting that calls are already heard to raise the pension age.

“One gets an impression that it is simpler for officials to save on people than to think of looking for reserves,” he said, adding that pension funds – both state and non-government – are totally non-transparent, and “we can only guess” about the strategy of investing pension assets.

The party also intends to fight for improving the public health system and the judicial system. The logo of the revived RPP will be its previous symbol – the heart in hands and the main slogan – “We shall protect ourselves on our own!” Zotov is sure that pensioners will make it as an organizational force.

He noted that the RPP invariably had placed third or fourth in regional elections before uniting with the Russian Party of Life and the Homeland Party. Between 2004 and 2006, the party had its representatives in 11 regional parliaments, in some cases catching up with and even outstripping United Russia, as it was the case at the elections to the Tomsk City Council in 2005.

Zotov called United Russia and Just Russia as the main opponents. The RPP leader emphasized at the same time that he will be ready to vote for any bills, proposed by them if they work to improve the position of pensioners and socially unprotected segments of population. Despite the withdrawal from Just Russia, Zotov remains member of the party’s State Duma faction.

The RPP intends to tender documents on registration in the near future. According to Zotov’s assessment, its membership may top 60,000 people. In any case, this is the membership of the organization, transformed into a party on Saturday.