The Russian People's Democratic Union (RNDS; ; ''Rossiyskiy narodno-demokraticheskiy soyuz'', ''RNDS''), initially named as People for Democracy and Justice (NDS; ; ''Narod za demokratiyu i spravedlivost'', ''NDS'') was a liberal opposition political party in Russia, founded in 2006. The party was a member of the opposition coalition
The Other Russia and was founded by former Prime Minister
Mikhail Kasyanov after he failed to win the leadership of the
Democratic Party of Russia. The Union was one of the founding parties of the
People's Freedom Party, in which the RNDS merged into in 2012.
History
RNDS was created at a congress in Moscow on 8 April 2006, drawing delegates from the
Union of Right Forces
The Union of Right Forces (URF). was a Russian liberal-conservative political public organization and former party, initially founded as an electoral bloc in 1999 and associated with free market reforms, privatization, and the legacy of the "yo ...
,
Yabloko and
Irina Khakamada
Irina Mutsuovna Khakamada ( rus, Ири́на Муцу́овна Хакама́да, p=ɪˈrʲinə mʊˈtsuəvnə xəkɐˈmadə; born 13 April 1955) is a Russian economist, political activist, journalist, teacher, publicist, and politician who ...
’s “Our Choice” movement. The
Ministry of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
repeatedly declined to register the party, prompting Kasyanov to re-brand the project several times under names such as “People for Democracy and Justice.”
Unable to contest elections, RNDS became a founding member of the opposition coalition
The Other Russia and helped organise the
Dissenters' Marches in 2006–07, rallies that were repeatedly broken up by police. The U.S. State Department’s 2008 human-rights report documented arrests of RNDS activists during these protests, including that of a regional organiser Aleksandr Bragin.
2008 presidential campaign
At a party congress on 23 July 2007 RNDS formally nominated Kasyanov as its candidate for the
2 March 2008 presidential election. After collecting the required two million signatures, he filed his paperwork in January 2008, but the
Central Election Commission
An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...
ruled that a significant share of the endorsements were invalid and removed him from the ballot.
The Supreme Court later rejected Kasyanov’s appeal against the exclusion.
People's Freedom Party
In September 2010 RNDS opened negotiations with the pro-democracy movement
Solidarnost and other liberal groups on forming a united opposition party. The talks culminated in the launch of the People’s Freedom Party “For Russia without Lawlessness and Corruption” on 13 December 2010, with Kasyanov,
Boris Nemtsov
Boris Yefimovich Nemtsov; (9 October 195927 February 2015) was a Russian physicist, liberalism in Russia, liberal politician, and outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin. Early in his political career, he was involved in the introduction of reform ...
,
Vladimir Ryzhkov and
Vladimir Milov as co-chairs.
Following liberalisation of party-registration rules, RNDS dissolved its structures and in June 2012 completed a merger into the newly registered Republican Party of Russia – People’s Freedom Party (RPR-PARNAS).
See also
*
Dissenters' March
*
The Other Russia
*
United Civil Front
*
Mikhail Kasyanov
*
Yabloko
References
External links
Official site of RNDSSite Mikhail Kasyanov - leader of RNDS
Community in LJ
2007 establishments in Russia
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party member parties
Liberal parties in Russia
Opposition to Vladimir Putin
People's Freedom Party "For Russia without Lawlessness and Corruption"
Political parties established in 2007
People's Freedom Party
Russian democracy movements
{{Europe-liberal-party-stub