The presidium of the general council of the United Russia Party yesterday approved the holding of a conference on May 29 devoted to the modernization of the party.
Photo: Sergey Kiselev
| Other Photos |
 |
|
 |
United Russia Gets a Makeover
The presidium of the general council of the United Russia Party yesterday approved the holding of a conference on May 29 entitled “Priority Tasks of the Party at the Modern Stage of the Country.” The conference will be devoted to the modernization of the party. New rules for party membership and for holding party offices have already been drafted. At the end of last week and beginning of this week, the three party clubs, the youth guards and part-affiliated institutes held closed roundtable meetings to discuss changes the coming changes. The results of those discussions were reported to the presidium yesterday. The presidium also increased the number of party projects.
Sources say the most radical principles for the changes were adopted. Party membership will be subject to approval after a six-month trial period, and will require three recommendations and two levels of interviews at which the candidate will have to make a presentation to show knowledge of the goals and tasks of the party and his or her potential value to the party. Party positions will be handed out on a competitive basis and will be limited to two four-year terms. Party officials may have to undergo background checks as well and party members may be subject to periodic attestations.
Confirmation of the new principles will take place at the next party congress in November. The party has already declared that it has to expand its popularity in the approaching regional elections, since they will be the first elections since Vladimir Putin has taken the helm of the party. The party now has 2 million members and 1.6 million supporters. The new party head wants those proportions reversed, however, so that the party can become the center of a broader social coalition. In spite of its increasing resemblance to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, United Russia will present itself in its new form as a modern party of the European type.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of May 23, 2008
|
|
|
