The Political Council of the PARNAS Party decided to legalize itself through registration on the basis of the Republican Party of Russia /RPR/ led by PARNAS co-chairman Vladimir Ryzhkov, by merging two parties on the RPR platform. The RPR will be granted registration by ruling of the European court of human rights. Ealrier, PARNAS was unable to secure official registration at the Justice Ministry or in courts.
The RPR, liquidated by court ruling back in 2006, will be the first domestic party reinstated by the Justice Ministry, the "Izvestia" notes. In April 201, the European court of human rights said the shutting down of that organization had been illegitimate, and in January 2012, the Russian Supreme Court overturned its own decision to shut down the RPR. In March 2012, the Justice Ministry promised to re-register the Party.
The newspaper recalls that Opposition politicians Boris Nemtsov, Vladimir Milov, Vladimir Ryzhkov and Mikhail Kasyanov had founded PARNAS in 2010. The Party operates on the liberal flank.
"The issue of the Party's name will be settled at its congress to be held not later than July 8. "As PARNAS we strive towards taking part in the elections as early as October.
The decision on access to elections on the basis of restoration of the Republican Party of Russia is the mechanism to implement our political will," the newspaper cited PARNAS co-chairman Mikhail Kasyanov as saying.Boris Nemtsov, another Party co-chairman, told the "Nezavisimaya Gazeta" that the main objective of the unified body would be the struggle for a super party - a broad coalition of the country's democratic forces. At the meeting of the Political Council on Wednesday, there were many disputes regarding the merger, the newspaper notes.
Nemtsov is a consistent supporter of the merger on the platform of the Republican Party. He said "this option is much better both in the political and moral sense." A new PARNAS will take a most active part in the gubernatorial elections in the autumn. In the runup to this campaign, talks are underway with the leaders of other democratic bodies over the creation of a coalition: " I believe it is very important not to allow the atomization of political space on the democratic flank, and realize the superparty idea." That it, to try and reach accord on joint work with our associates and partners, who already exist on this flank or will exist." In Nemtsov opinion, the government's task is very clear - "to pull everybody apart into micro-parties, to set them against each other. We have to foil this unpretentious plan."
Nemtsov does not believe in the establishment of a single party: "we've been talking about it for more than two decades, and have made no headway. So we need new forms, such as the super party idea, i.e. a broad democratic coalition which acts as one on the federal, regional and local levels."
In an interview to the "Kommersant," Mikhail Kasyanov complained the some Party members believe that it would be better to dissociate from the RPR's heritage, and register PARNAS from scratch. "I'll stand by the position that renaming the RPR to PARNAS is the best and quick option than new visits to the Justice Ministry, which we made more than once," Kasyanov underlined.