Rodina
Encyclopedia
Rodina or Motherland-National Patriotic Union (Rodina - Narodno-Patrioticheskiy Soyuz, Партия "РОДИНА") was one of the four parties that controlled seats in the Russian legislature
in 2003-2007. It was a coalition of 30 nationalist and left-wing groups that was established by Dmitry Rogozin
, Sergey Glazyev
, Sergey Baburin
, Viktor Gerashchenko
, Georgy Shpak
, Valentin Varennikov
and others in August 2003. The party's ideology combined socialist
and nationalist
ideas. Its headquarters were located in Moscow
. In the 2003 Duma
elections, Rodina won 9.2 percent of the vote and ended up with 37 of the 450 seats in the Duma.
Following allegations brought by the Communist Party
and ousted reform-oriented liberal
parties such as the Union of Right Forces
and Yabloko
that President Vladimir Putin
's United Russia
coalition had manipulated elections to ensure a favorable outcome, Rodina declined to field its own candidate in the 14 March 2004 presidential elections. This created a schism within Rodina: Glazyev insisted on running for President under the banner of an officially separate Rodina party, but Rogozin was able to consolidate his support and defeat Glazyev.
In the aftermath of the 2003 elections, the party mostly supported the policies of President Putin. However, in February 2005 four Rodina deputies, including Dmitry Rogozin, went on a public hunger strike
and locked themselves in their offices at the State Duma
to protest the welfare
reforms being pushed through by Putin's Government. The bloc since increasingly adopted the slogan "Za Putina, Protiv Pravitel'stva" (For Putin, Against the Government), and stated that its immediate goal was to win a parliamentary majority in the 2007 State Duma elections.
On 27 January 2005, nineteen members of the State Duma, including members of Rodina and the Communist Party, signed a petition to the prosecutor-general demanding that Jewish organisations be banned in the Russian Federation. This caused a political scandal, with then-president Putin (who was participating in commemorations for the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on the day that the petition was issued) expressing shame over the petition's content and the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews
issuing a statement roundly criticising the petition and its signers, but the prosecutor-general, in a later investigation, declined to charge the signatories of the petition with fomenting racial hatred.
In July 2005 the party's co-leader Sergey Baburin left the bloc, taking nine Duma deputies with him and forming an alternative group in the State Duma, which also calls itself 'Motherland'. The split led to a reunification of Dmitry Rogozin's and Sergey Glazyev's supporters.
Dmitry Rogozin had in recent months accused the Kremlin of waging a dirty war against his bloc, which he claims is feared by the United Russia party because of its potential electoral support. Rogozin had also announced intentions to take legal action against the State Duma
for allowing Baburin to register his bloc in the Duma as 'Motherland', creating a potential for confusion within the electorate.
On 6 November 2005, Rodina was barred from taking part in the December elections to the Moscow Duma following a complaint filed by the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia
that Rodina's advertising campaign incited racial hatred. The advertisement in question showed dark-skinned Caucasian immigrants tossing watermelon rinds to the ground and ended with the slogan, "let's clear our city of trash". It garnered much controversy and opinion polls predicted that Rodina would come second with close to 25% in the December vote. Rogozin appealed the decision, but the ban was upheld on 1 December 2005.
Rodina's difficulties continued into 2006, when it failed to obtain permission to contest local elections in a number of regions. It did, however, come third in the regional elections in Altay Republic.
Dmitry Rogozin unexpectedly stepped down as party leader in March 2006, and was replaced by the less known businessman Aleksander Babakov
. Many suspected this was a tactical decision on Rodina's part to ease pressure from the Kremlin, although a small number of party members in Moscow
had been vocal in their criticism of Rogozin's more outlandish nationalist rhetoric.
Rodina merged with the Russian Party of Life
and the Russian Pensioners' Party
into a new party, A Just Russia, on 28 October 2006. Many of Rodina's Parliamentary faction joined the new party except for Dmitry Rogozin
, Andrei Saveliyev
and Sergei Glazyev, who at present does not belong to any party.
In 2007 Dmitry Rogozin
was appointed Russian Ambassador to NATO.
родина) means motherland. When capitalized, the term refers to the whole country, particularly in political speech.
Duma
A Duma is any of various representative assemblies in modern Russia and Russian history. The State Duma in the Russian Empire and Russian Federation corresponds to the lower house of the parliament. Simply it is a form of Russian governmental institution, that was formed during the reign of the...
in 2003-2007. It was a coalition of 30 nationalist and left-wing groups that was established by Dmitry Rogozin
Dmitry Rogozin
Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin is a well-known Russian diplomat and popular politician, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia. In January, 2008, he became Russia's ambassador to NATO. He was a leader of the Rodina party until it merged with other similar Russian parties to form the...
, Sergey Glazyev
Sergey Glazyev
Sergey Yurievich Glazyev is a Russian politician and economist, Academician of Russian Academy of Science since 2008. He was a minister in 1993, a member of the State Duma in 1993-2007, and ran for President of Russia in 2004...
, Sergey Baburin
Sergey Baburin
Sergey Nikolayevich Baburin is a Russian nationalist politician and is Vice Speaker of the Russian State Duma and leader of the Party of National Revival "Narodnaya Volya". He was elected for the Rodina bloc. He is a member of the Committee on Civil, Criminal, Arbitral and Procedural Law.Baburin...
, Viktor Gerashchenko
Viktor Gerashchenko
Viktor Vladimirovich Gerashchenko , byname Gerakl , was the Chairman of the Soviet and then Russian Central Bank during much of the Perestroika and post-Perestroika periods....
, Georgy Shpak
Georgy Shpak
Georgy Ivanovich Shpak was the governor of Ryazan Oblast, Russia from 2004-2008.He was the commander of the Airborne Troops from 1996 to 2003. He was elected for the Rodina bloc.-References:...
, Valentin Varennikov
Valentin Varennikov
Valentin Ivanovich Varennikov was a Soviet/Russian general and politician, best known for being one of the planners and leaders of the Soviet war in Afghanistan, as well as one of the instigators of the Soviet coup attempt of 1991.-Early life:Valentin Varennikov was born to a poor Cossack family...
and others in August 2003. The party's ideology combined socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and nationalist
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
ideas. Its headquarters were located in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. In the 2003 Duma
Duma
A Duma is any of various representative assemblies in modern Russia and Russian history. The State Duma in the Russian Empire and Russian Federation corresponds to the lower house of the parliament. Simply it is a form of Russian governmental institution, that was formed during the reign of the...
elections, Rodina won 9.2 percent of the vote and ended up with 37 of the 450 seats in the Duma.
Following allegations brought by the Communist Party
Communist Party of the Russian Federation
The Communist Party of the Russian Federation is a Russian political party. It is the second major political party in the Russian Federation.-History:...
and ousted reform-oriented liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
parties such as the Union of Right Forces
Union of Right Forces
The Union of Right Forces, or SPS , was a Russian democratic opposition party associated with free market reforms, privatization, and the legacy of the 'Young Reformers' of the 1990s: Anatoly Chubais, Boris Nemtsov, and Yegor Gaidar. Nikita Belykh was the last party's leader...
and Yabloko
Yabloko
The Russian United Democratic Party "Yabloko" The Russian United Democratic Party "Yabloko" The Russian United Democratic Party "Yabloko" (Russian: Росси́йская объединённая демократи́ческая па́ртия «Я́блоко» Rossiyskaya obyedinyonnaya demokraticheskaya partiya "Yabloko"; is a Russian social...
that President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
's United Russia
United Russia
United Russia is a centrist political party in Russia and the largest party in the country, currently holding 315 of the 450 seats in the State Duma. The party was founded in December 2001, through a merger of the Unity and Fatherland-All Russia parties...
coalition had manipulated elections to ensure a favorable outcome, Rodina declined to field its own candidate in the 14 March 2004 presidential elections. This created a schism within Rodina: Glazyev insisted on running for President under the banner of an officially separate Rodina party, but Rogozin was able to consolidate his support and defeat Glazyev.
In the aftermath of the 2003 elections, the party mostly supported the policies of President Putin. However, in February 2005 four Rodina deputies, including Dmitry Rogozin, went on a public hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
and locked themselves in their offices at the State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
to protest the welfare
Welfare
Welfare refers to a broad discourse which may hold certain implications regarding the provision of a minimal level of wellbeing and social support for all citizens without the stigma of charity. This is termed "social solidarity"...
reforms being pushed through by Putin's Government. The bloc since increasingly adopted the slogan "Za Putina, Protiv Pravitel'stva" (For Putin, Against the Government), and stated that its immediate goal was to win a parliamentary majority in the 2007 State Duma elections.
On 27 January 2005, nineteen members of the State Duma, including members of Rodina and the Communist Party, signed a petition to the prosecutor-general demanding that Jewish organisations be banned in the Russian Federation. This caused a political scandal, with then-president Putin (who was participating in commemorations for the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on the day that the petition was issued) expressing shame over the petition's content and the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews
Union of Councils for Soviet Jews
Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union is an umbrella organization of Jewish human rights groups working in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The UCSJ is based in Washington, D.C...
issuing a statement roundly criticising the petition and its signers, but the prosecutor-general, in a later investigation, declined to charge the signatories of the petition with fomenting racial hatred.
In July 2005 the party's co-leader Sergey Baburin left the bloc, taking nine Duma deputies with him and forming an alternative group in the State Duma, which also calls itself 'Motherland'. The split led to a reunification of Dmitry Rogozin's and Sergey Glazyev's supporters.
Dmitry Rogozin had in recent months accused the Kremlin of waging a dirty war against his bloc, which he claims is feared by the United Russia party because of its potential electoral support. Rogozin had also announced intentions to take legal action against the State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
for allowing Baburin to register his bloc in the Duma as 'Motherland', creating a potential for confusion within the electorate.
On 6 November 2005, Rodina was barred from taking part in the December elections to the Moscow Duma following a complaint filed by the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia
The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia , Liberal'no-Demokraticheskaya Partiya Rossii is a political party in Russia. Since its founding in 1991, it has been led by the charismatic and controversial figure Vladimir Zhirinovsky...
that Rodina's advertising campaign incited racial hatred. The advertisement in question showed dark-skinned Caucasian immigrants tossing watermelon rinds to the ground and ended with the slogan, "let's clear our city of trash". It garnered much controversy and opinion polls predicted that Rodina would come second with close to 25% in the December vote. Rogozin appealed the decision, but the ban was upheld on 1 December 2005.
Rodina's difficulties continued into 2006, when it failed to obtain permission to contest local elections in a number of regions. It did, however, come third in the regional elections in Altay Republic.
Dmitry Rogozin unexpectedly stepped down as party leader in March 2006, and was replaced by the less known businessman Aleksander Babakov
Aleksander Babakov
Alexander Mikhailovich Babakov is a Russian politician and deputy speaker of the Duma, the Russian state parliament. He was the leader of Rodina, a political party in Russia, for several months in 2006 and organised a merger between his party and the Russian Party of Life and the Russian...
. Many suspected this was a tactical decision on Rodina's part to ease pressure from the Kremlin, although a small number of party members in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
had been vocal in their criticism of Rogozin's more outlandish nationalist rhetoric.
Rodina merged with the Russian Party of Life
Russian Party of Life
The Russian Party of Life was a political party in Russia, led by Sergey Mironov . According to its website, the party was liberal on economic issues and nationalistic on everything else...
and the Russian Pensioners' Party
Russian Pensioners' Party
The Russian Pensioners' Party is a political party in Russia.The party was founded as the Party of Pensioners in 1997...
into a new party, A Just Russia, on 28 October 2006. Many of Rodina's Parliamentary faction joined the new party except for Dmitry Rogozin
Dmitry Rogozin
Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin is a well-known Russian diplomat and popular politician, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia. In January, 2008, he became Russia's ambassador to NATO. He was a leader of the Rodina party until it merged with other similar Russian parties to form the...
, Andrei Saveliyev
Andrei Saveliyev
Andrey Nikolayevich Savelyev is a Russian politician and a former member of the Russian State Duma. He was elected to the Duma in December 2003 as a member of the Rodina faction and is currently Chairman of the Great Russia Party...
and Sergei Glazyev, who at present does not belong to any party.
In 2007 Dmitry Rogozin
Dmitry Rogozin
Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin is a well-known Russian diplomat and popular politician, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia. In January, 2008, he became Russia's ambassador to NATO. He was a leader of the Rodina party until it merged with other similar Russian parties to form the...
was appointed Russian Ambassador to NATO.
Party name
"Rodina" (RussianRussian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
родина) means motherland. When capitalized, the term refers to the whole country, particularly in political speech.