Statement on Russian Election

By RCWP (Russian Communist Workers Party), NorthStar Compass, May 2000

The forecasts of the CC of the Russian Communist Workers Party Plenum on the possibility of the CPRF candidate being defeated in the first round of the Presidential Election has now become a reality. The idea of a state system and of non-class patriotism, these bourgeois delimiting ideas instead of the needed proletarian internationalism and the power of the Soviets as the highest form of the organization for a modern, contemporary civilized state, were easily taken away from Zyuganov by the candidate Vladimir Putin. Gennady Zyuganov (CPRF presidential candidate) had haughtily rejected the tactical proposal to organize a United Front for an election boycott by all the opposition forces. The boycott was the only correct Marxist response to the forced option of the non-alternative elections, which had been induced by the regime after the combined Yeltsin-Putin permutation. The boycott would have cut Vladimir Putin's administrational resources; it would buy some time and cause the successor's real image to be unveiled to all the people. The boycott would have given the CPRF an opportunity to unite all of the opposition forces in defense, in order to pass to the offensive soon afterwards, for the first time, not in words but in deeds.

The boycott was real but Gennady Zyuganov refused to intensify the struggle and has in effect helped V. Putin to the presidency.

G. Zyuganov, as leader of the Communist Party of Russian Federation (CPRF) is under a great burden for his past losses and serious mistakes. The absence of political will from the leadership of the CPRF and their incapability to make non-standard moves in present politics, helped to solidify the present situation

The trust of the people who share the views of the rebirth of Soviet Russia headed by Communists, is being undermined by the CPRF leadership's unprincipled policies, and as a result, the collapse of the organized People's Patriotic Union of Russia (NPSR) became inevitable when it put forward a number of candidates in order to help the present Russian regime, such as G. Zyuganov, S. Govorukhin, Alexander Tuleev and A. Podberiozkin.

There is a very great danger of Russian society falling into the deadly trap of nationalism, which largely accounted for the breaking up of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and also Yugoslavia. The problem of confronting the present neo-liberalism, which is climbing into nationalism and getting transformed into fascism, now requires immediate actions by all the Communists in Russia. But the CPRF and its leadership are destroying this necessary unity, by their incapability and the haughty unwillingness of former party officials of the CPSU to turn themselves again to the communist theory, to base their roots in the working class and their struggles, to get out of the illusion of parliamentarism and cushy seats

Decisive moves are necessary at this period of time, which is so difficult and crucial for all the Russian communist movement. There must be a move towards unity on the Leninist basis, towards a party of the Leninist type, towards the separation from all of the degenerated nomeclatura, which is in effect helping the present regime.

The Russian Communist Workers Party calls for the unification of all the communist organizations which are to the left of the CPRF, and to strongly suggest to the party membership of the CPRF to think about replacing their present policies and also their leadership, or about renaming their party by taking away the name Communist.

Viktor Tiulkin
First Secretary of CC RCWP