Russian nationalists joins forces for election
Of the seven representatives of the two organizations that have formed the new bloc, only three showed up to meet with journalists. Among those absent were the chairman of the political council of the Union of Patriotic and National Organizations of Russia, Vladimir Filin, the chairman of the National-Conservative Party of Russia, Sergei Lykoshin, the chairman of the Regional Public Organization, Archangel Mikhail Alexander Soluyanov, and the leader of Narodnaya Volya, Sergei Baburin. The latter had sent his deputy Nina Zhukova to the news conference instead. Representatives of the newly formed alliance were terse and very cautious in their statements, trying hard not to say anything to offend anyone's national sentiments. The chairman of the Slavyanskaya Party (Slavic Party) of Russia complained that the Justice Ministry refused to register his party, finding fault with its name. The party was notified of the Ministry's decision only a couple of days earlier – on January 14. ''They ruled that [using] the word 'Slavic' runs counter to the provisions of the law on parties, since it asserts national interests,'' Mr. Duvalov lamented. ''But then, the phrase 'Slavic party' bears such power, that I am not willing to give it up.'' Ataman Valery Nikitin, General-Lieutenant of the Great Brotherhood of the Cossack Forces was brief in his statement. ''We, the Slavs, should live on our territory as we please,'' the Ataman said sullenly, pointing out that the numerical strength of the Cossacks in Russia has already reached 100,000. The head of the Holy Russia Party Sergei Popov, too, was brief. His statement implied that all his party members are believers, and the goal pursued by the movement is absolutely humane – nothing more than ousting all non-Russians from the Russian government. After him the deputy head of Narodnaya Volya Nina Zhukova took the floor. That Mrs. Zhukova, and her party Narodnaya Volya have claimed informal leadership over the newly formed alliance of nationalists was clear from the very start. Narodnaya Volya is one of the two far right parties officially registered with the Justice Ministry. Remarkably, Nina Zhukova herself leads the movement Soyuz Realistov (the Union of Realists) founded by the former head of Boris Yeltsin's presidential administration Yuri Petrov. The leader of Narodnaya Volya is Sergei Baburin, a former State Duma deputy and vice chairman. On August 15 last year the Minister for Economic Development and Trade German Gref appointed Baburin the head of the Russian State University of Commerce and Economics. That happened a month after Baburin's party was officially registered by the Justice Ministry. At the very end of the year, on December 30, Narodnaya Volya was also granted the official status of an all-Russian party with branches in the regions. On the same day several right wing movements announced the creation of the political alliance For Our Fatherland. The New Year break hindered the 'patriots' from conveying the news to the public, but now they seem to be making up for lost time. The objectives of the union, according to an official statement made by the bloc's founders at Thursday's conference, will be to struggle for Russia's reunification with Belarus and Ukraine, ''for a nationally oriented state and social and economic justice'', along with other values, including the ''eradication of Russophobia and inter-ethnic enmity''. It cannot be altogether ruled out that the latter clause was included to mollify the employees of the Justice Ministry and the Prosecutor General's Office. However, the For Our Fatherland bloc will fight for nationally oriented state solely at street rallies and manifestations for the meantime. Of all the members only Narodnaya Volya intends to take part in the parliamentary elections at the end of the year. But, if, later in the year, Baburin's union becomes a real force, other right wing groups may approach him and form a joint election bloc with a single political programme. Enlisting the secret support of the government's nationalists may succeed in winning over Zyuganovs' voters, and the sympathies of the increasingly nationalist electorate. And, in return, the government could count on the far right bloc for their loyalty towards the ruling class – Baburin already proved his worth when he held a seat in the State Duma.