MOSCOW, January 24. /ITAR-TASS/. RPR-PARNAS (Republican Party of Russia – People’s Freedom Party) will suggest Alexei Navalny refuses from radical nationalism and left course, the opposing party’s co-chair Boris Nemtsov told Itar-Tass commenting on the negotiations on settlement of disputes with the party’s other co-chair Vladimir Ryzhkov.
Nemtsov said the party had an agreement with Navalny’s unregistered party People’s Alliance on elections to the Moscow City Duma.
“The agreement is signed, and RPR-PARNAS will nominate Navalny’s people (Navalny does not have a right to run for elections). However, we have not signed a political agreement with Navalny on other upcoming elections; his project is being developed now and it will have guarantees from radical nationalism and left course,” Nemtsov said.
He continued saying a meeting of the party’s federal political council due on February 8 would discuss a draft decision, where “public criticism of the party’s members would be considered causing political damage, and the damage will be considered a reason for expelling from the party.”
“The issue with [member of the political council’s bureau] Ilya Yashin will be settled in a democratic way,” Nemtsov said. Several members of the political council accuse Yashin of public offence of Vladimir Ryzhkov. However, Nemtsov, who is the State Duma’s deputy representing the Yaroslavl region, says Yashin used to be head of his election headquarters and considers his work “correct and effective.”
Nemtsov says a major problem is connected with organization by Vladimir Ryzhkov’s allies of a new party - Republicans of Russia. “The existence of that organizing committee damages not only RPR-PARNAS, but the entire opposition, and we should make conclusions regarding those people,” the politician said.
Crisis in the party
RPR-PARNAS was established in June 2012 after a merger of the Republican Party of Russia and the Party of People’s Freedom. The new party’s co-chairs were elected Vladimir Ryzhkov, Boris Nemtsov and Mikhail Kasyanov.
In late December 2013, a group of the party’s federal political council published a letter about a “crisis in the party.” The letter told about a conflict between the “republicans”, the party’s old part, and its new partners headed by Nemtsov and Kasyanov. The party explained then that the major items on the discussion were cooperation with the nationalists, cooperation with the federal authorities and participation in elections. The discussion’s conclusions are expected in February.
On December 28, allies of Ryzhkov at RPR-PARNAS filed a statement to the ministry of justice on establishment of an organizing committee for a new party - Republicans of Russia, and on December 31 it was registered. “If RPR-PARNAS’ co-chairs Vladimir Ryzhkov, Boris Nemtsov and Mikhail Kasyanov fail to come to an agreement, the new party’s constituent congress is due in April-May,” representative of the Republicans’ organizing committee Vladimir Koptsev told Itar-Tass.
Ryzhkov in his turn announced he had nothing to do with the establishment of the organizing committee. “They have only notified me, like they notified the ministry of justice,” he said then in an interview with Itar-Tass.