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Russia’s Civic Platform may close some of its regional branches over financial problems

The party is now inspecting the efficiency of its regional branches across Russia

MOSCOW, November 7 (Itar-Tass) - Russia’s opposition party Civic Platform may wind up a number of its regional branches, including its branch in the republic of Bashkortostan, over organizational or financial problems there, a source in the party told Itar-Tass on Thursday.

The party is now inspecting the efficiency of its regional branches across Russia. The check is expected to be over by the New Year.

Over a month ago, representatives from Civic Platform’s Kaluga branch presented an action plan but by now it has turned the party’s executive committee has found out that the branch is failing this plan, the Civic Platform press service told Itar-Tass. The Kaluga branch “has failed to find money to finance its activity,” the source said. Now it is to be closed.

“It is not ruled out that more branches will be closed due to similar reasons. For instance, the Bashkortostan branch is also a problem branch,” the source noted.

Dwelling on the situation over the Kaluga branch, the source said that the leaders of this branch had begun to ask financing from the federal headquarters of the party. “But this is not the way things are done with us. If you open a branch, you must prove you can find money yourself, you must prove you can attract people who want to engage in politics and are ready to invest in the party’s growth,” the source said. “And we offer them our support at the federal level within the framework of elections.” So, according to the source, representatives from the Kaluga branch have overestimated their potential.

“When they straighten out things among themselves, when they settle their problems, we may re-open their branch but to ask them to provide guarantee that they would be able to cope with the plan they present to the federal headquarters,” the source added.

According to the Civic Platform’s official website, the party has 57 regional branches across Russia.

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