Yesterday, another founding congress of the People's Alliance party took place.
Obviously, the words "another" and "founding" look strange together, but that is exactly the situation. The "People's Alliance" has supporters, an ideology, and a platform, but it still does not have the paperwork from the Ministry of Justice. And that, by the way, is precisely the reason: if you have supporters, an ideology, and a platform, then we won't give you the paperwork. Otherwise, you might actually start participating successfully in elections! You can look through the history of PA in my posts: April 2012 http://navalny.livejournal.com/700532.html November 2012 http://navalny.livejournal.com/748972.html January 2013 http://navalny.livejournal.com/767541.html March 2013 http://navalny.livejournal.com/778232.html October 2013 http://navalny.livejournal.com/867896.html I was reminded once again just how badly such a party is needed during the most recent election campaign I took part in, when I was effectively running on the «People's Alliance» platform: voters were downright insistent—give us a party with a platform like this, and at last we will have someone to vote for.
I will repeat what I said at the congress: We must create PA because for a huge number of people it is the only way to cast a meaningful vote, the only reason to go to the polls. Right now, no one represents their interests at all. They have no one to vote for, and all voter political tactics have essentially boiled down to this: vote in whatever way hurts the party that represents the interests of corrupt officials—United Russia. We ourselves once coined this slogan: vote for any party except United Russia—the party of crooks and thieves. That slogan has natural limits. People want to vote for something, not just against something. Every voter needs a political force on which to pin hopes for a better life for the country, for themselves, and for their family. The demand for such a party is enormous, and that is exactly what the «People's Alliance» must become. At the first rally after the mayoral election, I said that its main result was the emergence of a new, genuine opposition. An opposition that seeks to represent the interests of the majority, rather than remain in a 5% electoral ghetto. I am convinced that no party other than PA can play this role. Together, not long ago, we successfully destroyed the myth that the opposition is just a collection of narrow ideological groups. The liberals stand in this corner, the left in that one, the nationalists over here. I argue that the political needs of the majority are described differently: at a time when, before their very eyes, Russia is being turned into a feudal state whose purpose is the endless corrupt enrichment of a few families and the placement of members of those families into positions in state companies created specifically for that purpose, people want a party whose goals are: -fighting corruption, -defending the European path of development, -fair distribution of resource rents in general, and oil and gas revenues in particular, -fair distribution of power, which should reside in cities and regions, not in a single office in Moscow.
I put myself forward for the post of chairman and was supported by the congress—many thanks for your trust. I would also like to note that a special source of pride for me is that the "People's Alliance" elected a new political council without any "Navalny lists," "organizing committee lists," or other manipulative handouts that are distributed to delegates at every party congress. Everyone who wanted to run did so, spoke, and then the congress voted. I am convinced that an important feature distinguishing PA from other party structures must be direct electronic democracy. Important decisions, including personnel decisions, should be made by a direct vote of all party members. Leaders of regional branches should be elected and re-elected by a direct vote of all branch members, not by conferences. That is how we will overcome the gap between party members and party leadership that is traditional in Russia. At present, the leadership cannot be removed or re-elected—or even pressured. This demotivates the party activists, and after a couple of years the party exists only on paper. We need a party to fight for power, not to receive budget funding.
So join us: http://peoplesalliance.ru/support/member/ At the congress, everyone kept asking: what will you do the next day, after becoming party leader? The next day I went to the local penal inspection office (the agency supervising people with criminal sentences) where a polite young female inspector registered me as a criminal under supervision, took my fingerprints, and filled out a pile of forms with questions like, "do you flaunt your criminal past?" There was one difficulty. In the "Life goals" section of the questionnaire there was an option: "Plans to take revenge on judges, investigators, and Interior Ministry officers," an excellent option, and I certainly do plan that, but it is a bit too small-scale for a life goal. For some reason, the necessary option—"Plans to work toward transforming Russia into a fair, European-style state governed by the rule of law for everyone"—was missing. After consulting with the young inspector, I chose the option "to work honestly."