Almost all citizens of Russia have heard of such a term as "non-systemic opposition". But each person has his own idea of its essence. Often this opinion has a rather distant relation to reality. So what is the non-systemic opposition in Russia, what tasks does it set for itself and who are its leaders? Let's find the exact answers to these questions.
The concept of non-systemic opposition
Non-systemic opposition are political forces that oppose themselves to the current government of the country, but use mostly non-parliamentary methods of struggle. Such organizations rarely participate in elections. They express their political position through protests, public calls to sabotage the decisions of government bodies, and sometimes to overthrow them by force.
This state of affairs may be due to a number of factors:
- The lack of faith of those who are part of the non-systemic opposition in the possibilitydemocratically remove the political forces in power from the control of the state.
- Purposeful actions of representatives of authorities to prevent certain organizations from participating in the electoral process.
- Official ban on the activities of some organizations that belong to the non-systemic opposition.
The last paragraph refers mainly to various groups whose activities are extremist or anti-state. Criticism of the government's actions by representatives of the non-systemic opposition is far from always constructive. They often speak out against any steps taken by the authorities.
Rise of non-systemic opposition
The term "non-systemic opposition" appeared in Russia around the beginning of this millennium. In 2003, during elections to the State Duma, the liberal Yabloko party, led by Grigory Yavlinsky, and the Union of Right Forces (SPS), led by Boris Nemtsov, failed to enter parliament. Only those communities that, to one degree or another, supported the policy of the current leadership of the Russian Federation, got into the State Duma. Thus, a number of individuals who were previously considered to be "heavyweights" of the political Olympus remained outside the parliamentary life of the country. This fact caused them to be accused of electoral fraud by the authorities.
Unable to influence the life of the country by parliamentary means, the opposition forces were forced to act by other methods. They began to organize massprotest actions in the form of disobedience to the authorities. Since this type of activity was new to them, and popularity among the population was falling more and more, the liberal forces that remained outside the parliament were forced to look for more experienced allies in the game on this field. They turned out to be various opposition groups that have a semi-legal status in Russia, or are generally banned. The most significant of them were the National Bolshevik Party of Eduard Limonov and the Vanguard of the Red Youth of Sergei Ud altsov. So, a non-systemic opposition arose.
History of non-systemic opposition activities
The first protest action that united Yabloko, SPS and the National Bolshevik Party took place in March 2004. At the same time, the "Committee-2008" was organized, in which the legendary chess player Garry Kasparov played one of the leading roles. The main goal of the organization was to prepare for the 2008 presidential elections, since in 2004, as it was believed, the opposition had no chance. In March 2005, the youth structures of the Yabloko party and the Union of Right Forces created the Oborona social movement. Ilya Yashin became one of its leaders.
In the summer of 2005, Garry Kasparov became the head of the newly created organization - the United Civil Front. In the same year, this community initiated the first "March of Dissent" - a street protest action, with the aim of changing the political regime. Other opposition organizations also joined this event. "March of Dissent" was held regularly from 2005 to 2009. They have become the main form of expression of the position of opponents of the current government.
Attemptassociations
In 2006, representatives of the non-systemic opposition made an attempt to unite into one organization that would coordinate their common actions. It was disunity that was the main reason for the political failures of the opposition. However, given its diversity, this is not surprising. The new association was called "Other Russia". It included such opposition organizations as the UHF, the National Bolsheviks, Oborona, Labor Russia, AKM, Smena. It was the "Other Russia" that coordinated the general actions of the opposition forces and the "March of Dissent".
However, if during the protests this organization managed to create mass character, then in the struggle for votes, the parties representing the non-systemic opposition continued to lose. Following the results of the 2007 parliamentary elections, they again did not get into the State Duma. Not a single representative of the non-systemic opposition participated in the 2008 presidential elections: Garry Kasparov and Mikhail Kasyanov were denied registration due to non-compliance with the procedure, and Boris Nemtsov himself withdrew his candidacy. The completely different ideological foundation of the opposition organizations predetermined the collapse of the "Other Russia". The association was dissolved in 2010, and the brand itself began to be used by the party created by Eduard Limonov.
From the collapse of the "Other Russia" to Bolotnaya
Since 2010, a new stage in the history of non-systemic opposition has begun. From that moment on, it again fell apart, although more than once the organizations made attempts to unite. During this period, wideblogger Alexei Navalny, who was previously a member of the Yabloko party, became popular with the public. He earned fame for his anti-corruption articles. At the same time, human rights activist Violetta Volkova came to the forefront of the opposition movement. During this period, such major public opposition actions as "Day of Wrath", "Strategy-31", "Putin must go", "March of millions" and others took place.
The March of Millions in Moscow in May 2012, which was timed to coincide with the election of Vladimir Putin as President of Russia, received the greatest response. The disunity of the actions of opposition representatives again played a key role. Some of the leaders led their supporters to Bolotnaya Square. There was a forcible dispersal of the action by law enforcement agencies. Mass detentions of activists followed.
Current situation
At present, the trend of increasing decline in popularity among the population of organizations representing the non-systemic opposition continues. Sometimes there is a rise in the protest movement, as during the rallies that took place after the revolution in Ukraine. But such actions are episodic and non-systemic. Even the assassination of one of the leaders of the movement, Boris Nemtsov, did not lead to mass actions.
Some members of the non-systemic opposition have now emigrated abroad. For example, Garry Kasparov. Among the political forces of the non-systemic opposition now, in comparison with the previousperiod, the party of Mikhail Kasyanov called PARNAS gained great influence.
Political forces
As mentioned above, non-systemic opposition organizations have very different ideological views. In fact, they are united only by the protest against the current government of Russia. The non-systemic opposition includes liberals (Yabloko, PARNAS, formerly SPS), socialists (AKM, Trudovaya Rossiya), nationalists (NBP) and others.
Leaders
The leaders of the non-systemic opposition play a significant role in the movement. Let's talk about them in more detail. One of the most famous leaders was Boris Nemtsov. Previously, he served as governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region, and under Boris Yeltsin, he was even head of government for some time. But after Vladimir Putin came to power, he went into a deaf opposition. Since 1999, he led the SPS party. Until 2003, he was the leader of the faction of the same name in the State Duma. In 2008, after the dissolution of the Union of Right Forces, he initiated the creation of the Solidarity movement. Later he was one of the co-founders of the RPR-PARNAS party. Killed in February 2015.
Another representative of the non-systemic opposition who has previously been in power is Mikhail Kasyanov. In the early 2000s, he was the head of the Russian government. Then he went into open opposition. He is the leader of the PARNAS party.
Violetta Volkova is one of the prominent opposition figures. She is a lawyer by profession, so she concentrated her main efforts on human rights activities. The peak of her activity was in 2011-2012.
AlekseyNavalny is a well-known blogger who criticizes the authorities and exposes corruption schemes. Previously a member of the Yabloko party, but then expelled from it. Despite the fact that Navalny is an ardent critic of corruption in the authorities, he himself was convicted of embezzlement of property and received a suspended sentence. True, opposition representatives believe that this case is fabricated.
Garry Kasparov, the legendary world chess champion, also takes an active part in the protest movements. Especially active after 2005. He was the main initiator of the creation of the UHF movement, as well as the "March of Dissent". Currently left Russia.
Public sentiment
There is a rather ambiguous opinion in society about the leaders of the non-systemic opposition. Their popularity is constantly falling, and the level of support for government officials is growing. Even some of those people who are dissatisfied with the actions of the current government believe that there are no leaders in the non-systemic opposition capable of adequately leading the country. Public outcry was caused by the words that the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov said about the non-systemic opposition. They were broadcast by many TV channels. He said that opposition leaders are trying to gain fame by criticizing the Russian president and the difficult economic situation in the country, and are carrying out subversive activities. For this they should be tried to the fullest extent of the law. What Kadyrov said about the non-systemic opposition reflects the views of a significant part of the country's population on it.
At the same time, it should be saidthat there is a certain stratum of society that fully supports the actions of the leaders of the opposition forces.
Prospects
The future of the non-systemic opposition is rather vague. Her support among voters is falling more and more. The chances that representatives of the opposition forces will be able to get into parliament are approaching zero. The disunity between individual opposition organizations is quite strong, and the unions are situational. At the same time, it should be noted that it largely depends on the Russian government how strong protest moods will be in society. Improving the living standards of the population can further reduce the role of opposition forces.
