A Just Russia — For Truth (SRZP; russian: Справедливая Россия — За правду; СРЗП, Spravedlivaya Rossiya — Za pravdu; SRZP), formerly A Just Russia (SR), is a
social conservative
Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social instituti ...
and
social-democratic
Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...
political party in Russia
This article discusses political parties in Russia.
The Russia, Russian Federation has a ''de jure'' multi-party system, however it operates as a near ''de facto'' one-party system. six parties have members in the federal parliament, the State D ...
. The party, part of the "
systemic opposition
In modern politics of Russia, Russian political terminology, the non-system opposition or non-systemic opposition (russian: внесистемная оппозиция) are oppositional forces which operate outside of the official political establi ...
", is considered to be pro-Kremlin.
The party was formed on 28 October 2006 as a merger of the left-wing factions of
Rodina, the
Russian Party of Life
The Russian Party of Life (RPL; russian: Российская партия жизни; РПЖ, Rossiyskaya partiya zhizni; RPZh) was a political party in Russia, led by Sergey Mironov (Speaker of the Federation Council, the upper house of the Ru ...
and the
Russian Pensioners' Party. Later, six further minor parties joined.
It then called for a "
New Socialism of the 21st Century" which guarantees the rights and freedoms of the individual and ensures the proper functioning of a
welfare state
A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equitabl ...
. In 2011,
Nikolai Levichev
Nikolai Vladimirovich Levichev (russian: Николай Владимирович Левичев; born May 28, 1953) is a Russian politician. Since February 24, 2016, he has been a member of Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, ...
was elected as party chairman, succeeding
Sergey Mironov
Sergey Mikhailovich Mironov (russian: Серге́й Миха́йлович Миро́нов; born 14 February 1953) is a Russian politician. He was Chairman of the Federation Council of Russia, Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian ...
who led the party in 2006–2011. On 27 October 2013, Mironov was re-elected as party chairman, and again on 28 October 2018. On 28 January 2021, the party merged with the
For Truth and
Patriots of Russia parties.
History
Name
* : A Just Russia: Motherland/Pensioners/Life (russian: Справедливая Россия: Родина/Пенсионеры/Жизнь; СР:РПЖ, Spravedlivaya Rossiya: Rodina/Pensionery/Zhizn'; SR:RPZh)
* : A Just Russia (russian: Справедливая Россия; СР, Spravedlivaya Rossiya; SR)
* since : Socialist Political Party "A Just Russia — Patriots — For Truth" (russian: Социалистическая политическая партия «Справедливая Россия — Патриоты — За правду»; СРЗП), Sotsialisticheskaya politicheskaya partiya «Spravedlivaya Rossiya — Patrioty — Za pravdu»; SRZP)
Establishment
On 26 March 2006, the deputy head of the presidential administration,
Vladislav Surkov
Vladislav Yuryevich Surkov (russian: Владислав Юрьевич Сурков; born 21 September 1962 or 1964) is a Russian politician and businessman. He was First Deputy Chief of the Russian Presidential Administration from 1999 to 201 ...
, met with
Sergey Mironov
Sergey Mikhailovich Mironov (russian: Серге́й Миха́йлович Миро́нов; born 14 February 1953) is a Russian politician. He was Chairman of the Federation Council of Russia, Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian ...
, then the party leader of the
Party of Life, and 30 deputies from the party, where Surkov formulated the idea of building a two-party system in the country, in which the Kremlin could rely on one of two parties, the other being the ruling party,
United Russia
United Russia ( rus, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a Conservatism in Russia, Russian conservative List of political parties in Russia, political party. As the largest party in Russia, it hold ...
. Surkov stated: "Society has no 'second leg' to step on when the first one is numb. In Russia, a second large party is needed". Surkov suggested that the role of the "main leg" would be left to United Russia for the near future. In the meeting, Surkov also noted that in the
2003 legislative elections, United Russia received about 37% of the vote, which was about the same as the next three parties, the
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...
, the
Liberal Democratic Party, and
Rodina, and said that ideally, the "second leg" should have the same level of electoral support as the three parties.
According to researcher Luke March, a second party of power would incentivize United Russia to perform well, or strong performance for A Just Russia would have "Putin's influence spread all over the political field", quoting political commentator
Sergei Markov.
A Just Russia formed on 28 October 2006 as a merger of three parties, namely
Rodina, the
Russian Party of Life
The Russian Party of Life (RPL; russian: Российская партия жизни; РПЖ, Rossiyskaya partiya zhizni; RPZh) was a political party in Russia, led by Sergey Mironov (Speaker of the Federation Council, the upper house of the Ru ...
and the
Russian Pensioners' Party. Of these, the nationalist Rodina was the largest, having won 9% of the popular vote in the
2003 Duma elections. At the time of the merger, Rodina had 37 seats in the Duma. The Party of Pensioners had gained 3% of the vote, failing to cross the 5% election threshold and also been weakened by infighting in its leadership. The
social-democratic
Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...
Party of Life led by
Sergey Mironov
Sergey Mikhailovich Mironov (russian: Серге́й Миха́йлович Миро́нов; born 14 February 1953) is a Russian politician. He was Chairman of the Federation Council of Russia, Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian ...
was still relatively young and had won only one regional election.
As the only party of the three with seats in the Duma, Rodina dominated the unification process. In simultaneous conventions held in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
on 26 August 2006, the Party of Life and the Party of Pensioners decided to join Rodina.
Two months later on 28 October 2006, the new party held its founding congress which decided to change the party's name to A Just Russia.
[History](_blank)
A Just Russia Mironov was elected the unified party's chairman while Rodina's former chairman
Alexander Babakov
Alexander Mikhailovich Babakov (russian: Александр Михайлович Бабаков; 8 February 1963) is a Russian politician and member of the State Duma, the Russian parliament. He was appointed Special Presidential Representative ...
became the secretary of the central council presidium and the leader of the Party of Pensioners
Igor Zotov became secretary of the political council.
[A Fair and Just Russia The Political Platform of Russia's Social Democrats Part 1: Philosophy and the Current State of Russia](_blank)
The School of Russian and Asian Studies. Archived 20 July 2018. The next year, A Just Russia expanded further, absorbing three additional small parties in 2007, namely the
People's Party, the
Party of Entrepreneurship Development and the
Party of Constitutional Democrats.
At the party's founding convention, chairman Sergey Mironov expressed support for the direction given to the country by President
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
, claiming that "we will not allow anyone to veer from it after Putin leaves his post in 2008". At the same time, he harshly criticised Putin's party
United Russia
United Russia ( rus, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a Conservatism in Russia, Russian conservative List of political parties in Russia, political party. As the largest party in Russia, it hold ...
and what Mironov called the largest party's "monopoly" of the nation's political, economic and administrative resources.
Mironov characterised A Just Russia as a new "leftist political force" and a "hard opposition", saying that "if United Russia is the party of power, we will become the party of the people".
[New 'Just Russia' Party Says Putin Knows Best](_blank)
St Petersburg Times, 31 October 2006
First election successes
Shortly after its creation, A Just Russia participated in its first elections when the party's candidate won the mayoral race in
Samara
Samara ( rus, Сама́ра, p=sɐˈmarə), known from 1935 to 1991 as Kuybyshev (; ), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with ...
. The March 2007 regional elections were dominated by United Russia, but A Just Russia also put up a strong performance. In particular, the new party won a majority in the regional parliament in
Stavropol Krai
Stavropol Krai (russian: Ставропо́льский край, r=Stavropolsky kray, p=stəvrɐˈpolʲskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (a Krais of Russia, krai) of Russia. It is geographically located in the North ...
.
[Sakwa 2011, p.66]
The emergence of A Just Russia changed Russia's political landscape and demonstrated that the country's leadership had been split between two parties. United Russia supporters in the presidential administration grew wary of the challenge posed by A Just Russia, worrying that United Russia would lose its position as "the president's party". Before the
2007 Duma elections, the Kremlin had withdrawn its support of A Just Russia and threw its weight entirely behind United Russia.
In a press conference on 19 January 2007 dedicated to upcoming Duma elections, Secretary of the Central Party Council of A Just Russia
Alexander Babakov
Alexander Mikhailovich Babakov (russian: Александр Михайлович Бабаков; 8 February 1963) is a Russian politician and member of the State Duma, the Russian parliament. He was appointed Special Presidential Representative ...
announced that the party had approximately 300,000 members.
[Alexander Babakov: The party numbers around 300,000](_blank)
A Just Russia, 22 January 2007
In May 2007, A Just Russia's chairman
Sergey Mironov
Sergey Mikhailovich Mironov (russian: Серге́й Миха́йлович Миро́нов; born 14 February 1953) is a Russian politician. He was Chairman of the Federation Council of Russia, Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian ...
proposed a merger between his party and the
Communist Party of the Russian Federation
, anthem =
, seats1_title = Seats in the State Duma
, seats1 =
, seats2_title = Seats in the Federation Council
, seats2 =
, seats3_title = Governors
, seats3 =
, seats4_title ...
in order to create a new unified
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
party. Mironov invited all "honest socialists" to join the party. However, his proposal was rejected by
Gennady Zyuganov
Gennady Andreyevich Zyuganov (russian: Генна́дий Андре́евич Зюга́нов; born 26 June 1944) is a Russian politician, who has been the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and served as M ...
, leader of the Communists, who claimed that A Just Russia's claim to be a leftist party was "a charade".
2007 Duma elections
In the run-up to the December
2007 Duma elections, President
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
—the country's most popular politician—explicitly and unequivocally endorsed the
United Russia
United Russia ( rus, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a Conservatism in Russia, Russian conservative List of political parties in Russia, political party. As the largest party in Russia, it hold ...
party and decided to head its national list. Putin's decision significantly changed the election campaign and resulted in a massive boost to United Russia's popularity. This represented a harsh blow to A Just Russia which also had hoped to ride on Putin's popularity. Polls suggested the party could have difficulties crossing the 7% election threshold.
[Sakwa 2011, p.248]
A Just Russia appointed three persons to its national list, namely chairman
Sergey Mironov
Sergey Mikhailovich Mironov (russian: Серге́й Миха́йлович Миро́нов; born 14 February 1953) is a Russian politician. He was Chairman of the Federation Council of Russia, Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian ...
;
Svetlana Goryacheva
Svetlana Petrovna Goryacheva (russian: Светла́на Петро́вна Горя́чева; née Bezdetko; born June 3, 1947) is a Russian politician. She was a deputy of the State Duma from the party A Just Russia, and served as Deputy Cha ...
(a former member of the
Communist Party of the Russian Federation
, anthem =
, seats1_title = Seats in the State Duma
, seats1 =
, seats2_title = Seats in the Federation Council
, seats2 =
, seats3_title = Governors
, seats3 =
, seats4_title ...
); and
Sergey Shargunov, a 27-year-old fiction author. In its regional lists, A Just Russia had 553 candidates, taking its total number of candidates to 556. This was more than the Communists (515), but less than United Russia (600). Although originally positioned as a
centre-left
Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The c ...
party, under Mironov's leadership A Just Russia campaigned as a socialist alternative to the Communists.
In the end, A Just Russia received 5,383,639 votes (7.74%), becoming the fourth party to cross the 7% election threshold and enter the Duma after United Russia, the Communists and the
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. As a result, A Just Russia got 38 of the 450 seats (8.4%) in the Duma.
[FINAL RESULT OF THE DUMA ELECTION, 2 DECEMBER 2007](_blank)
Levada Center The party received its highest share of votes in
Astrakhan
Astrakhan ( rus, Астрахань, p=ˈastrəxənʲ) is the largest city and administrative centre of Astrakhan Oblast in Southern Russia. The city lies on two banks of the Volga, in the upper part of the Volga Delta, on eleven islands of the ...
(20%),
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
(16%) and
Stavropol
Stavropol (; rus, Ставрополь, p=ˈstavrəpəlʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Stavropol Krai, Russia. As of the 2021 Census, its population was 547,820, making it one of Russia's fastest growing cities.
It was known as ...
(13%). In Saint Petersburg, the hometown of chairman Mironov, A Just Russia became the second largest party. Mironov said he would not take up his seat in the Duma himself, but instead continue as the Chairman of the
Federation Council
The Federation Council (russian: Сове́т Федера́ции – ''Soviet Federatsii'', common abbreviation: Совфед – ''Sovfed''), or Senate (officially, starting from July 1, 2020) ( ru , Сенат , translit = Senat), is th ...
.
A Just Russia's performance in the elections was a slight disappointment, especially since one of its predecessor parties,
Rodina, had won 9% of the votes in the
2003 elections.
Post-election
On 10 December 2007, A Just Russia was part of a coalition of parties which nominated
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...
as their candidate for the
2008 presidential elections
This electoral calendar 2008 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2008 in the de jure and de facto list of sovereign states, sovereign states and their list of dependent territories, dependent territories. Referendums are included ...
.
On 25 April 2008, A Just Russia held its third annual congress, where the party expelled thousands of members who were not aware that they were members. The party's charter was amended at the congress to make mergers easier. The congress also disbanded the party's
politburo
A politburo () or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. It is present in most former and existing communist states.
Names
The term "politburo" in English comes from the Russian ''Politbyuro'' (), itself a contraction ...
and transferred its functions to the Central Council. Politburo's chairman
Nikolai Levichev
Nikolai Vladimirovich Levichev (russian: Николай Владимирович Левичев; born May 28, 1953) is a Russian politician. Since February 24, 2016, he has been a member of Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, ...
, who also heads A Just Russia's faction in the
State Duma
The State Duma (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper house ...
, was elected as the council's first secretary.
During its XXIII Congress On 30 June 2008, A Just Russia was accepted into the
Socialist International
The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations. ...
, the worldwide organisation of social-democratic political parties.
The
United Socialist Party of Russia
The Socialist United Party of Russia (USPR or SEPR; russian: Социалистическая единая партия России; СЕПР; ''Sotsialisticheskaya yedinaya partiya Rossii'', ''SEPR'') was a socialist political party in Russia es ...
and the
Russian Ecological Party "The Greens"
)
, colours = Green Teal
, website partygreen.ru
The Russian Ecological Party "The Greens" (REP "The Greens"; russian: Российская экологическая партия «Зелёные», Rossiyskaya ekologicheskaya partiya «Zelo ...
merged into the party in 2008.
In the 2007–2011 State Duma, A Just Russia became a strong supporter of the
Medvedev modernisation programme
The Medvedev modernisation programme was an initiative launched by President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev in 2009, which aimed at modernising Russia's economy and society, decreasing the country's dependency on oil and gas revenues and creating a d ...
, endorsing President
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...
's view that Russia must move towards a diversified
post-industrial economy
A post-industrial economy is a period of growth within an industrialized economy or nation in which the relative importance of manufacturing reduces and that of services, information, and research grows.
Such economies are often marked by a declin ...
and democratisation of its political system. A Just Russia also advocated restoration of direct gubernatorial elections and lowering the Duma election threshold from 7% to 3%. A Just Russia voted against Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
's anti-crisis plan in April 2009 and also voted against the governments budgets in 2010 and 2011. According to researcher Luke March, in the
2007–2011 Duma A Just Russia clearly moved towards Medvedev. The party has declared absolute opposition to Putin's government while remaining supportive of Medvedev.
On 2 February 2010, Mironov told talk show host
Vladimir Pozner Jr. that "to say that we support Vladimir Putin in everything and personally is already outdated information", noting that the party "categorically opposed" Putin's budget. A scandal broke out with the ruling party, leading to A Just Russia and United Russia to sign a political agreement to jointly support Putin and Medvedev on certain strategic issues and agreeing to discuss disagreements between them.
However, A Just Russia withdrew from the agreement a month later, with Mironov accusing United Russia of violating the agreement.
In March 2011, Mironov stated that the party would not support United Russia's candidate for the next presidential election, and that it would decide on its nomination later in the autumn. At the party congress on 16 April 2011,
Nikolai Levichev
Nikolai Vladimirovich Levichev (russian: Николай Владимирович Левичев; born May 28, 1953) is a Russian politician. Since February 24, 2016, he has been a member of Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, ...
was elected party leader after Mironov was removed from the position. In May 2011, Mironov was removed from his position of
Chairman of the Federation Council
The Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation (russian: Председатель Совета Федерации Федерального собрания Российской Федерации), also c ...
.
In August 2011, the party published its manifesto, announcing its transition to full opposition to the authorities.
2011 Duma elections
In the
2011 legislative elections, the party received 13% of the vote, extending its number of seats to 64.
Following reports of
electoral fraud
Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of ...
at the election, party members joined in
post-election protests against the results.
Gennady Gudkov
Gennady Vladimirovich Gudkov (russian: Генна́дий Влади́мирович Гудко́в; born 15 August 1956, Kolomna) is a Russian politician and businessman. ''The Moscow Times'' described him in 2012 as "one of parliament's most voc ...
, a party heavyweight and deputy, was prominent at the demonstrations. Senior party members took part in demonstrations at
Bolotnaya Square
Bolotnaya Square (russian: Болотная площадь, ''Bolotnaya ploshchad'') is a square in the center of Moscow, in Yakimanka District, south of the Moscow Kremlin, between the Moskva River (north) and the Vodootvodny Canal (south). Th ...
on 10 December, among them Gudkov and
Oksana Dmitriyeva
Oksana Genrikhovna Dmitriyeva ( rus, Оксана Генриховна Дмитриева; born 3 April 1958) is a Russian politician and economist, who currently serves as a deputy of the State Duma since 2021, having previously served in the p ...
.
2012 presidential election
Mironov was nominated as the party's candidate for the
2012 presidential election. Mironov stated that he would "enter the race not to participate, but to win", and also promised to nominate
Oksana Dmitriyeva
Oksana Genrikhovna Dmitriyeva ( rus, Оксана Генриховна Дмитриева; born 3 April 1958) is a Russian politician and economist, who currently serves as a deputy of the State Duma since 2021, having previously served in the p ...
as prime minister if elected.
Mironov called for a return to a
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
model of government. While he stated that he predicted a Putin victory, he declared that he would support
Gennady Zyuganov
Gennady Andreyevich Zyuganov (russian: Генна́дий Андре́евич Зюга́нов; born 26 June 1944) is a Russian politician, who has been the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and served as M ...
in a hypothetical runoff against Putin. According to election results, Mironov came in last place, with 3.85% of the vote.
Post-election
On 22 May 2012, during a State Duma session where a bill was being considered to increase fines for those who violated protest laws, Mironov wore a
white ribbon
The white ribbon is an awareness ribbon sometimes used by political movements to signify or spread their beliefs. It is usually worn on garments or represented in information sources such as posters, leaflets, etc.
The White Ribbon has been t ...
, a symbol that was being used by the anti-Kremlin opposition in
protests
A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one.
Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...
against Putin's re-election, and the party remained silent in the discussion of the bill as a sign of protest. Mironov stated that the party "fundamentally disagrees with the content of the bill".
On 27 October 2012, Mironov called on members to stop wearing the white ribbon, the day after a United Russia deputy, Alexander Sidyakin, branded deputies who wore it as "traitors" and stomped on a white ribbon. Mironov urged members to distance themselves from the opposition, claiming that the rallies turned into a "political sect". He also threatened to expel
Ilya Ponomaryov and Gudkov from the party for joining the opposition's
Coordination Council Coordination Council may refer to:
* Coordination Council (Afghanistan)
* Coordination Council of Leftist Forces, a political alliance in Azerbaijan
* Coordination Council (Belarus), an opposition council of Belarusians aiming to transfer power fr ...
. Ponomaryov and Gudkov were also among the deputies who were branded as traitors by Sidyakin. From 2012, members of the party who actively took part in protests left or were expelled from the party, including Gudkov and Ponomaryov. Dmitriyeva also distanced herself from the party.
In October 2013, Mironov was elected as party leader and in 2014, A Just Russia, along with United Russia, the Communist Party, and the Liberal Democratic Party, supported Putin's foreign policy following the
Annexation of Crimea, and much of his domestic policy.
2016 Duma elections
In the
2016 legislative elections, A Just Russia received 6% of the vote, losing most of its seats and retaining only 23 seats.
2018 presidential election
In December 2017, Mironov outlined the party's new tasks, choosing not to participate in the
2018 presidential election due to his unwillingness to fight "for second place". Instead, the party would endorse Putin and work to limit the influence of United Russia on the agenda of Putin. Mironov stated that A Just Russia was, is, and will be in opposition to United Russia, but that it could not be "in opposition to Russia herself". Mironov also proposed "to honestly tell voters" that there was no "worthy alternative" to Putin.
RBC reported that, according to sources close to the party's leadership, Mironov's unwillingness to participate in the election was due to fatigue and financial difficulties.
2021 Duma elections
Ahead of the
2021 legislative elections, A Just Russia merged with the parties
Patriots of Russia and
For Truth in January 2021, forming A Just Russia — Patriots — For Truth.
Mironov remained party leader, and according to their unification manifesto, the party would run on "12 principles of truth, patriotism and justice", including "strengthening the role of the state in the economy, developing a progressive taxation scale, toughening punishments for corruption, increasing the minimum wage, pensions and social benefits, phasing out of the high school state exams and budget decentralization". The party also reportedly planned to come in second place in the election, after United Russia, but eventually came third, after United Russia and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.
Post-election
In February 2022, the party voted in favour of the recognition of the
Donetsk People's Republic
The Donetsk People's Republic ( rus, Донецкая Народная Республика, Donetskaya Narodnaya Respublika, dɐˈnʲetskəjə nɐˈrodnəjə rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə; abbreviated as DPR or DNR, rus, ДНР) is a Territorial ...
and the
Luhansk People's Republic
The Luhansk or Lugansk People's Republic (russian: Луга́нская Наро́дная Респу́блика, Luganskaya Narodnaya Respublika, ; abbreviated as LPR or LNR, rus, ЛНР) is a disputed entity created by Russian-backed ...
by the
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
and later it supported the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. As a result of these announcements, A Just Russia — For Truth was expelled from the
Socialist International
The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations. ...
in March 2022.
In July 2022, the leader of the
CPRF
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,
Gennady Zyuganov
Gennady Andreyevich Zyuganov (russian: Генна́дий Андре́евич Зюга́нов; born 26 June 1944) is a Russian politician, who has been the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and served as M ...
allowed
CPRF
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to proposed merging with A Just Russia — For Truth, but only if that party adopted the Communist program. The day before, the leader of the A Just Russia
Sergey Mironov
Sergey Mikhailovich Mironov (russian: Серге́й Миха́йлович Миро́нов; born 14 February 1953) is a Russian politician. He was Chairman of the Federation Council of Russia, Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian ...
said that he "does not see any obstacles to the creation in Russia of a large coalition of left-wing patriotic forces".
Membership
In 2012, the party claimed to have 400,000 members and claimed to be the largest
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
party in Russia. It has regional branches in all
federal subjects of Russia
The federal subjects of Russia, also referred to as the subjects of the Russian Federation (russian: субъекты Российской Федерации, subyekty Rossiyskoy Federatsii) or simply as the subjects of the federation (russian ...
.
Ideology and platform
A Just Russia calls for the creation of a
welfare state
A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equitabl ...
with less
economic inequality
There are wide varieties of economic inequality, most notably income inequality measured using the distribution of income (the amount of money people are paid) and wealth inequality measured using the distribution of wealth (the amount of we ...
, but protecting individual
property rights
The right to property, or the right to own property (cf. ownership) is often classified as a human right for natural persons regarding their possessions. A general recognition of a right to private property is found more rarely and is typically ...
and maintaining a
market economy
A market economy is an economic system in which the decisions regarding investment, production and distribution to the consumers are guided by the price signals created by the forces of supply and demand, where all suppliers and consumers ...
. Under the leadership of
Sergey Mironov
Sergey Mikhailovich Mironov (russian: Серге́й Миха́йлович Миро́нов; born 14 February 1953) is a Russian politician. He was Chairman of the Federation Council of Russia, Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian ...
, the party has presented itself as a socialist alternative to the
Communist Party of the Russian Federation
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, seats1_title = Seats in the State Duma
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, seats2 =
, seats3_title = Governors
, seats3 =
, seats4_title ...
,
and describes its ideology as "New Socialism of the 21st century". In the party platform, this "New Socialism" is defined as the antithesis of "barbarous, oligarchic capitalism". It represents a more
individualist
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and to value independence and self-relianc ...
or
liberal socialism
Liberal socialism is a political philosophy that incorporates liberal principles to socialism. This synthesis sees liberalism as the political theory that takes the inner freedom of the human spirit as a given and adopts liberty as the goal, ...
.
[A Fair and Just Russia. The Political Platform of Russia's Social Democrats Part 2: The Individual & Government](_blank)
The School of Russian and Asian Studies. Archived 27 July 2018.
Improving the socio-economic position of the average Russian is the party's primary aim. It wishes to replace Russia's 13%
flat-rate income tax with
progressive taxation
A progressive tax is a tax in which the tax rate increases as the taxable amount increases.Sommerfeld, Ray M., Silvia A. Madeo, Kenneth E. Anderson, Betty R. Jackson (1992), ''Concepts of Taxation'', Dryden Press: Fort Worth, TX The term ''progr ...
and demands that spending on employment programmes is increased to 1% of GDP.
In the State Duma, the party emphasises its role as "constructive opposition" that opposes high-level corruption and supports further democratisation of the political system. In the
2007–2011 Duma, A Just Russia declared absolute opposition to Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
's government, voting against the government's budgets in 2010 and 2011 while remaining strongly supportive of President
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...
and his
modernisation programme.
Despite such position, A Just Russia endorsed Putin in the
2018 Russian presidential election.
In Russia's international relations, A Just Russia proposes moving away from the
Western sphere and strengthening relations between the
former Soviet states
The post-Soviet states, also known as the former Soviet Union (FSU), the former Soviet Republics and in Russia as the near abroad (russian: links=no, ближнее зарубежье, blizhneye zarubezhye), are the 15 sovereign states that wer ...
.
Chairmen
A Just Russia
A Just Russia — For Truth
International cooperation
A Just Russia used to be a full member of the
Socialist International
The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations. ...
, but on 7 March 2022 the party was expelled for its support of the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
.
It also maintains friendly relations with
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
n left-wing political parties. A Just Russia repeatedly sent greetings to annual meetings of
São Paulo Forum
São Paulo Forum (FSP), also known as the Foro de São Paulo, is a conference of left-wing political parties and other organizations from the Americas, primarily Latin America and the Caribbean. It was launched by the Workers' Party ( pt-BR, P ...
.
Electoral results
Presidential
State Duma
Mergers
The following parties have merged into A Just Russia. The dates in brackets show when the merger took place and when it ended.
*
Patriots of Russia (January 2021)
*
For Truth (January 2021)
*
Party of Social Justice
The Party of Social Justice (Партия социальной справедливости, ''Partiya Sotsial'noy Spravedlivosti'') was a political party in Russia.
At the 2003 legislative elections, the alliance of the Russian Pensioners' Par ...
(September 2008)
*
United Socialist Party of Russia
The Socialist United Party of Russia (USPR or SEPR; russian: Социалистическая единая партия России; СЕПР; ''Sotsialisticheskaya yedinaya partiya Rossii'', ''SEPR'') was a socialist political party in Russia es ...
(May 2007)
*
People's Party of the Russian Federation (April 2007)
*
Party of Entrepreneurship Development (2007)
*
Party of Constitutional Democrats (2007)
*
The Greens The Greens or Greens may refer to:
Current political parties
* Australian Greens, also known as ''The Greens''
* Greens of Andorra
* Greens of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Greens of Burkina
* Greens (Greece)
* Greens of Montenegro
*Greens of Serbia
*G ...
(June 2009 – February 2012; re-established as an independent party in 2012)
*
Rodina (October 2006 – September 2012; re-established as an independent party in 2012)
*
Russian Pensioners' Party (October 2006 – April 2012; re-established as an independent party in 2012)
*
Russian Party of Life
The Russian Party of Life (RPL; russian: Российская партия жизни; РПЖ, Rossiyskaya partiya zhizni; RPZh) was a political party in Russia, led by Sergey Mironov (Speaker of the Federation Council, the upper house of the Ru ...
(October 2006)
References
Literature
*
*
External links
*
*
Website of Moscow oblast regional committee
A Just Russia prepares the International day of the UN on the website of the
WSIS
{{DEFAULTSORT:Just Russia
Registered political parties in Russia
Political parties established in 2006
2006 establishments in Russia
Centrist parties in Russia
Centre-left parties in Europe
Social democratic parties in Russia
Socialist International
Democratic socialist parties in Europe