Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO
RUSSIA DEMANDS CHANGES!
Electoral Program for 2011 Parliamentary Elections
Basic guidelines for 2011- 2016
Approved by the 16th Congress of the party
on September 10, 2011
OUR GOAL
The main goal of the YABLOKO party is to build via peaceful
and constitutional methods a modern law-based democratic and
socially oriented state serving the needs of the people and
ensuring Russias dynamic development.
WHY ARE WE RUNNING FOR PARLIAMENT?
YABLOKO is participating in the elections to the State Duma
in order to represent the interests of Russias citizens,
adopt laws that will bring the country closer to a law-based
democratic and socially oriented state and abolish all legislation
that obstructs such a goal.
We are a democratic opposition.
Our objective is to attain a constitutional change of power
in Russia.
We oppose the political course of the present government that
is leading the country through arbitrary rule to stagnation
and degradation.
WHAT DO WE STAND FOR?
WE ADVOCATE A MODERN STATE
The inviolability of the individuals human rights
We will ensure the adoption of laws guaranteeing the following:
protection from arbitrary deprivation and restriction of
freedoms;
personal privacy: privacy of correspondence and telephone
conversations, inviolability of the home;
irreversible nature of punishments for workers from the
law enforcement agencies for unlawful actions against citizens;
guarantees of the rights of the military, first and foremost
all individuals serving their military service on conscription
and punishment of officers who break the law;
guarantees of humane conditions for convicts in places of
confinement, equality before the law and provision of social
assistance to convicts when freed
For civil rights
We will advocate legislative initiatives ensuring the following:
real equality of all citizens before the law;
notification procedures for holding pickets, rallies and
demonstrations and the dismissal of bureaucrats applying formal
permit procedures to restrict the constitutional rights of
Russian citizens; recognizing the protection of such actions
by senior regional and federal officials to be a criminal
offense;
guarantees of equal opportunities for men and women, elimination
of all forms of discrimination and violence against women;
guarantees that prevent physical and moral violence against
children;
freedom for the establishment and operation of non-profit
organisations, abolition of discriminatory legislation on
non-profit organisations;
steadfast adherence to the freedom of the media with increased
penalties on journalists for breaking the law;
creation of an independent public television channel.
For democracy
We support the right of the people to choose the government
and demand observance of the rights of minorities.
In the State Duma we will:
adopt laws that ensure the true independence of the legislative
authorities;
prevent the use of administrative resource and election
fraud;
classify offenses committed by officials who infringe electoral
rights as offenses against the state;
ensure the formation of electoral commissions by political
parties and solely by representatives of the parties;
simplify the registration of political parties, lower the
cap on the number of members to 5,000 people; permit the creation
of blocs and coalitions;
reduce to three percent the minimum threshold of votes required
from political parties to gain representation at legislative
assemblies at all levels;
simplify and improve the procedure for holding referenda
at all levels;
adopt a Federal Law on the underlying principles for the
activities of the Human Rights Commissioner in the constituent
subjects of the Russian Federation.
For an independent court
We aim to achieve the following goals:
the adoption of legislative acts that ensure the real independence
of the judicial system from the arbitrariness of the executive
authorities and financial pressure;
the abolition of unlawful sentences passed by courts and
release and rehabilitation of those who suffered from corruption
in the judicial system and the biased attitudes of judges;
the election of justices of the peace;
the appointment of all the federal judges by the Federation
Council based solely on the proposals of the judicial authorities;
the election of presiding court judges based on voting by
judges, limitations on the term of office of presiding court
judges to two or three years, removal of the ability of presiding
court judges to influence the appointment and dismissal of
judges
expansion in the categories of cases considered by juries:
increase in the requirements on candidates for judges (raising
of the age and work experience required for appointment) and
mandatory retraining (for at least one year) of judges appointed
for the first time;
introduction of a rule on the distribution of cases between
judges by lot;
prevention of all manifestations of arbitrariness and subjective
rule in the adoption of court decisions.
For civil control over the secret services and law enforcement
agencies
Our objectives:
abolition of laws and subordinate legislation that unjustifiably
expanded the powers of the Federal Security Service, the Federal
Protection Service, police and other law enforcement agencies;
parliamentary control and control on behalf of human rights
organisations [over secret services, the military and law
enforcement agencies], mandatory cooperation of the state
authorities and officials when conducting parliamentary and
public investigations;
public reports of members of the law enforcement agencies
and members of their families on incomes and expenditure,
more stringent penalties in the event of corruption.
For efficient federalism and economic independence of the
territories
Our stance:
election of members of the Federation Council;
election of the executive authorities of the constituent
subjects of the Russian Federation;
termination of the unsubstantiated interference of the federal
center in the activities of the constituent subjects of the
Russian Federation;
special economic and demographic development programs in
geopolitical risk regions;
growth in tax deductions to regional and local budgets,
reduction in counter financial flows;
payment by monopoly enterprises of taxes in the regions
where they operate;
allocation of personal income tax to local budgets at the
residence of the individual taxpayer;
economic support for ecological disaster zones, underdeveloped
regions and regions with unfavourable climatic conditions.
For fully-fledged local government
We will aim to achieve the following goals:
eliminate excessive state paternalism over local government;
revise laws imposing on local government decisions that
had not been coordinated with them (i.e. mixed electoral system,
etc.);
put to local referenda issues on the direct elections of
a number of senior officials of local and municipal government;
transfer of all the revenues from property taxes to a local
level.
For a professional army
Our demands:
abolition of military conscription and transfer to the formation
of the army on a contract basis;
increase in the service pay and provision of housing for
the military;
prompt removal of a discriminatory procedure for calculating
military pensions;
alignment of the structure and size of the army with actual
threats;
complete transition to modern weapons.
For efficient foreign policy
We demand a foreign policy aimed at achieving the following
goals:
preservation of Russias territorial integrity and protection
of its borders;
respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of
neighboring countries, development of mutually beneficial
cooperation;
development of new forms of cooperation between Russia and
the countries of Europe and the European Union, abolition
of the visa regime between Russia and Europe;
expansion of relations with NATO based on mutual guarantees
of security and the creation of a joint missile defense system;
establishment of a joint long-term strategy for cooperation
with the European Union, with due account of all Russias
international obligations;
development of the institutions of the Council of Europe.
FOR AN EFFECTIVE SOCIALLY ORIENTED MARKET ECONOMY
For the inviolability of private property
We will promote the adoption of laws to:
protect property from corporate raids and attempts to seize
another persons property based on vague wording and loopholes
in legislation;
facilitate the opening and maintenance of small and medium-sized
businesses;
expand economic liberty, reduce bureaucracy, eliminate administrative
barriers and abolish "manual" control by the government;
protect the rights of property owners: minority shareholders,
owners of apartments, farmhouses, plots of land, etc.;
expedite and simplify procedures for country cottage amnesties.
For competition
The goals of our legislative initiatives:
transparent bidding as the sole mechanism for the major
expenditures of natural monopolies;
disclosure (publication in the media and, above all, the
Internet) of information from natural monopolies on all corporate
costs;
elimination of the legal and actual advantages of big business;
increase in penalties for the establishment of administrative
barriers and pressure on business;
establishment of a clear procedure for the approval of monopoly
tariffs focused on cost reductions;
promotion for the participation of small businesses in construction,
transport, energy and other industries;
restrictions on increases in monopoly tariffs to the rate
of inflation for the previous period;
the right of consumers not to pay for poor quality utility
services and services not actually rendered.
For the new economic policy an end to Russias
dependence on raw materials
In order to maximise Russian economic growth, we have developed
a program for mass-scale individual housing construction.
Today Russia has the resources to enable millions of citizens
to build housing for themselves and their children on their
own land. We believe fundamentally in the free and mass transfer
of land and corresponding infrastructure to private ownership
for the purpose of building family homes. Implementation of
the Land-Housing-Roads" program would
have the following results:
provide modern comfortable housing to 14 million households
in seven years;
boost domestic demand and expedite growth of the real economy,
providing millions of new jobs through the multiplier effect
of a mass-scale individual housing construction program;
lead to significant progress in the establishment of modern
infrastructure in Russia: roads, gas, electricity and water
supply at the expense of and with the support of the state
(14 trillion roubles should be allocated for these goals over
the next seven years primarily from the states reserve funds);
accelerate the promotion of investments in the modernization
of Russian industry.
For active industrial policies
We will advocate the following:
large-scale creation of well-paid jobs that require skills;
creation of a favorable economic environment for technology-intensive
enterprises;
stimulation of investments in state-of-the-art R&D and
global best practice in industry through the adoption of corresponding
legislation;
implementation of a "tax maneuver," optimization
of the tax rate structure, creation of competitive taxation
stimulating the development of production and the transfer
of the tax burden to the raw materials sector and the consumption
of luxury goods, as well as to tobacco and alcohol.
gradual lifting of tariffs and other barriers with the EU
for the purpose of directing Russian manufacturers to European
markets.
For the creation of modern transport infrastructure
We will propose laws targeted at the following:
rationalization and development of the existing rail infrastructure;
creation of nationwide air transportation infrastructure;
development of a single transportation complex in the country.
For real support of small and medium-sized businesses
We will demand:
elimination of the administrative burden on small and medium-sized
businesses;
reduction in the rates of insurance payments to state extra-budgetary
funds; organization of concessional lending system;
creation of "public markets" - the pre-emptive
right to buy land set aside for markets for small business
cooperatives;
stringent guarantees for the right to buy leased municipal
premises and the land under them;
reduction in the overall tax burden for small and medium
businesses.
For modern agrarian production
We set the following goals:
facilitate agricultural cooperation in the area of production
and processing of agricultural products;
fully-fledged legal title to land plots allocated to agricultural
workers;
audit of the legality of transactions related to the purchase
of interests in land, and in cases where fraud is detected,
the invalidation of such transactions;
the creation of special land banks for work with small agribusinesses;
implementation of the Law on Agricultural Land Transactions.
For a reduction in social stratification
The adoption of our package of initiatives aimed at bridging
the gap between the richest and poorest population strata
will result in the following:
expansion of the list and increase in the volume of goods
and services in the consumer goods basket to the subsistence
minimum that correspond with dignified modern living standards;
increase in the minimum wage in future to at least 50 per
cent of the average wage;
creation of the Elder Generation Fund which will accumulate
some of the funds from the sale of commodities;
growth in pensions and social benefits directly tied to
the previous measures, which will result in an inflow of revenues
to the pension fund and other social funds;
introduction of a legislative concept - the "subsistence
minimum of a disabled person", taking into account the
individuals expenditures on medicine and rehabilitation;
increase in disability benefits, programs for the distance
teaching of disabled children and the creation of jobs for
the disabled, a "barrier-free" environment in cities.
For guarantees of labor rights
This implies:
the mandatory nature and stability of an employment contract;
effective procedures for the resolution of employment disputes;
extensive job creation programs;
the real right to strike;
equal pay for equal work for men and women;
firm guarantees on the establishment and registration of
independent trade unions, guarantees against the dismissal
of trade union leaders.
FOR INVESTMENTS IN HUMAN CAPITAL
For the development of education
Our demands:
free high-quality secondary and higher education that is
available to every citizen;
increase in salaries (first of all, basic salaries) and
the social status of the teachers of preschool institutions,
schools, vocational and higher education institutions;
elimination through federal budget expenditure of the income
gap in the level of teachers wages, depending on their place
of residence;
end to the commercialization of education and the prevention
of corruption in educational institutions by providing far
greater transparency in their activities;
protection of higher educational institutions from budget
cuts if students unable to master the educational program
are expelled from courses;
creation of an accessible system of budget subsidies for
student loans;
increase in the size of undergraduate and graduate student
scholarships, increase in the number of places at student
dormitories, significant reduction in the cost of public transport
for students and post-graduate students;
increase in the number of places in kindergartens, provision
of a place in a pre-school educational institution for every
child;
autonomy of educational institutions, including in respect
of the choice of the forms of training and examinations;
ban on the closure of primary schools in rural areas;
broad variety of textbooks and approaches in the humanities;
de-bureaucratization and democratization of education.
For support of science
Our objectives:
sustainable funding of the most promising and modern branches
of science, including increase in support for the most important
fundamental research;
increase in the transparency of tenders for research, de-bureaucratization
of the funding of science, exemption of grant recipients from
the need to hold contests for the supply of goods and services
for their research;
the creation of real guarantees of the intellectual property
rights of scholars;
support for young scholars, including assistance with the
acquisition of housing;
abolition of import duties on unique equipment for scientific
research.
For accessible and high-quality health care
Our demands:
accessibility of free high-quality health care with the
standardization of free services;
introduction of mandatory regular upgrades in the training
of doctors;
increase in the salaries of medical personnel and at the
same time an increase in liability for low quality services;
economic and legal independence of medical organisations
with the transparency of their activities;
mandatory free medical examination of the population;
abolition of import duties on unique medical equipment and
medicines;
provision of guarantees on health care services for rural
residents, ban on the closure of outpatient clinics and hospitals
in rural areas;
measures aimed at increasing the birth rate and reducing
significantly the number of abortions, effective health care
for mothers and children: increase in federal subsidies for
multiple-child families, provision of places in preschool
institutions for all-comers and allowances in the amount of
the subsistence minimum until a child comes of age, the provision
of preferential housing loans for families with children.
For the development of Russian culture:
Our demands:
increase in funding for culture and the arts, increase
in wages for low-paid workers in the sector;
ensuring the territorial accessibility and price affordability
of cultural sites, support for creative young people and job
creation by opening new museums, libraries, theaters, exhibition
and concert halls in places where they are no cultural facilities
at present or an insufficient number;
involvement of children in school cultural life (excursions),
decent living standards for the teachers of supplementary
education - school elective courses, clubs and studios, music
and art schools that involve children in creative and developmental
activities;
tax exemptions for book publishing, opposition to distributors
monopoly, the affordability of paper and other consumables,
as well as the provision of libraries with new books and electronic
information resources in the necessary amount;
promotion of philanthropy and private investments in education,
science and culture.
For the purity of environment
Our objectives:
reduction in morbidity and mortality associated with environmental
factors;
re-establishment of the state environmental state authority
and restoration in a full of the institute of state environmental
expertise;
ease in the tax burden for enterprises establishing environmental
control facilities, customs exemptions for the acquisition
of environmental protection equipment;
support for environmentally friendly industries - tourism
and recreation;
toughening in the fines for exceeding the permissible levels
of contamination;
ban on spent nuclear fuel imports;
end to the construction of new hazardous nuclear facilities,
including nuclear power stations, and the decommissioning
of outdated nuclear power plants;
modernization of traditional forms of power (gas and coal),
end to the construction of large new hydropower plants;
stimulation of the transition to alternative and renewable
sources of power;
creation of economic incentives aimed at raising energy
efficiency;
increase in the efficiency of state protection of forests;
demolition of all structures built in violation of legislation
in protected environmental zones and on the shores of water
reservoirs.
WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING AGAINST?
Against the oligarchy the merger of the government
and business
We are against policies allowing the representatives of the
present government to appropriate huge revenues and export
capital from Russia.
That is why we propose the following measures:
introduce far more stringent requirements on the transparency
of foreign companies (primarily companies registered in the
jurisdictions with a special tax status, so-called "offshore
companies") owning a large share of capital in Russian
companies in the key economic sectors. These requirements
should address their property structure, tax history and their
financial relationships with companies in Russia. Introduce
a special regime for the regulation and taxation of such companies;
stringently prevent instances where businessmen and their
relatives take up state posts approving a corresponding list
of positions and adopt appropriate amendments to effective
legislation;
develop and implement in practice mechanisms that make it
possible through court action to dismiss civil servants if
they are involved in "conflicts of interest" they
are able to influence the business environment of the enterprises
where they are owners or beneficiaries;
abolish all "gravy trains" (opaque and uncontrolled
funding of state owned and quasi-state owned companies, programs
and projects; the provision of additional benefits and privileges
not stipulated by law) used to channel budget funds and also
the proceeds from asset sales to the pockets of oligarchs
and officials close to them;
maximize restrictions on the trade secrets of monopolies,
state-owned companies, and companies working on state and
municipal orders or receiving budget support;
restrict the size of electoral funds;
in order to legitimize large private property, introduce
a one-time compensatory tax on the beneficiaries of the loans-for-shares
auctions in the 1990s.
Against graft and corruption
We propose:
ratification in full of Article 20 of the UN Convention
Against Corruption and introduction of an article "illicit
enrichment" to the RF Criminal Code;
introduction of a legal institution "provocation of
a bribe": an official or law enforcement officer succumbing
to provocation should be immediately dismissed from the civil
service;
independent anti-corruption expert examination of all legal
acts;
mandatory certification of all public agencies and companies
with state participation according to the International Organization
for Standardisation standards envisaging anti-corruption procedures;
full and comprehensive certification of the personal income
declarations of civil servants and the dismissal from civil
service of anyone who cannot prove the legality of their incomes
and assets;
introduction of a contract system for the civil service:
an official after signing the contract receives substantial
consumer credit from the state which is fully repaid (non-refundable)
on the termination of the contract and lack of claims filed
against the official. However, in the event of the unsatisfactory
performance of professional duties or dismissal due to corruption,
the official returns the loan, including interest for the
whole term, as soon as possible;
introduction of criminal liability for overstating the starting
prices in the implementation of public procurement, imposition
on the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the duty to approve
protocols on coordination of starting prices;
a significant increase in the quality of the annual independent
audit of all monopoly companies, companies with state participation,
enterprises that receive large government contracts, as well
as enterprises of all forms of property, which receive loans
from the government or banks with state participation;
maximum size of compensation paid to senior management of
state-controlled companies and monitoring of their spending.
Against lawlessness
We are against unequal opportunities for our citizens, against
the creation by the state bureaucracy of a privileged minority
and a disenfranchised majority.
We propose:
abolition of the system of allowances and privileges for
officials, including at regional level, in the areas of housing,
health care, transport and other services, including the abolition
of special car alarm devices, the use of departmental sanatoria
and health resorts, etc.;
creation of a single pension system for civil servants and
citizens;
legally enshrine the guarantees of small businesses, protecting
them from the pressure of big business.
Against ethnic hatred and intolerance
Our demands:
adopt a law "On Protection of the Personality",
which establishes stringent liability for acts of ethnic hatred
and discrimination on ethnic and racial basis;
include in the secondary school curriculum (from the first
class) lessons for interethnic communication (intercultural
communication) in order to acquaint children with the culture
and customs of the peoples of Russia, first and foremost people,
whose representatives study at this school and live in the
same area.
Against totalitarianism and Stalinism
We consider it necessary to take the following steps:
recognize at a state level the illegitimacy of the violent
regime change in Russia in 1917, restore the historical and
legal succession of the Russian state interrupted by the dissolution
of the Constituent Assembly in 1918;
establish responsibility for the defense and propaganda
of state terror, denial or acquittal of Stalin and the Bolshevik
reprisals;
adopt a comprehensive national programme in order to overcome
the legacy of the Soviet totalitarian past.
* * *
YABLOKO offers Russian citizens such a program that will ensure
our country's movement on the path of development. This path
has been taken and is being taken by all the countries that
have ensured the highest level of welfare of all their citizens
by the start of the 21st century.
YABLOKO is a party that has inherited from the Russian Constitutional
Democrats respect for the traditions of morality when upholding
the principles of freedom of choice, freedom of movement,
the right and inviolability of property, the civil justice
and social responsibility of both the state and businessmen.
We believe that today our country is facing a choice:
either it will follow the path of development in the 21st
century,
or it will continue moving towards stagnation and will no
longer exist within its current borders by the middle of the
21st century.
Dear voters, today it is you to make your choice!
RUSSIA DEMANDS CHANGES!
WE WILL RETURN HOPE TO YOU!
See also:
Elections
to the State Duma 2011
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