Destination Duma: Patriots log on

The Patriots of Russia are going to make it into the State Duma next month – and the internet is going to get them there, says the non-parliamentary party’s head Gennady Semigin.

“Today the internet is a place where it’s possible to have direct dialogue with citizens without censorship,” Semigin said in an interview to RIA Novosti. To make its message heard, the party plans a full-on campaign in social networks, blogs and political websites. The party sees itself as a broad coalition of opposition forces based on socialist and social-democratic values. Its main stated goals are equal opportunities for all, political stability and steady economic development. The moderate leftist party suggests that strategic decisions be taken through nationwide referendums.Apart from making their program more widely known, the Patriots of Russia are trying to fight voter apathy, which they call their main rival in the forthcoming parliamentary election on December 4.“Today the apathy of citizens, their mistrust of political parties and leaders, and their unwillingness to vote are the most serious rivals not only for us, but also for other parties,” Semigin warns.Low voter turnout could cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election, and the “legitimacy of the country’s development”, Semigin is convinced. The Patriots of Russia were registered in 2005. They reject extremism and nationalism.