MOSCOW, October 26 (RIA Novosti) – A Just Russia, a moderately left political party and part of Russia's so-called systemic opposition, opened its seventh party congress in Moscow on Saturday to reshuffle party leadership and discuss its political direction.
About 500 people – delegates from 83 regions in Russia – will discuss and adopt a new party program and changes to its charter over the two-day event, Sergei Mironov, A Just Russia’s leader, said.
“In changing the charter, we will make sure that all collegial bodies really were thus [collegial], so that we have more democracy, so that no one has any reason to believe that someone makes decisions behind closed doors and then implements them with a firm hand in reality,” Mironov stated on the party’s website.
A Just Russia’s party leaders, including its chairman, will also be reelected on Sunday – a scheduled shakeup that happens at the party congress every 2.5 years.
Mironov may replace the party’s current chairman Nikolai Levichev, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Moscow in September’s election.
Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the congress participants in a statement on the Kremlin’s website Saturday, calling A Just Russia “one of the most influential political parties of our country” and wishing the delegates success.
