Russian experts skeptical that liberal opposition can unite.

Experts sceptical opposition coalition may take shape



Most Russian experts are sceptical about the chances the latest initiative for uniting the liberal opposition may have a success, as all of the previous attempts invariably failed. This time the idea of a wide coalition of oppositional forces For European Choice that would present a common front and participate in parliamentary and presidential elections has been put forward by the Republican Party of Russia — People’s Freedom (more widely known under its Russian acronym RPR-PARNAS) under Boris Nemtsov and Mikhail Kasyanov.

Liberal parties were widely represented in the Russian parliament in the early 1990s, but in the second and third Dumas they took a tiny 10% of seats. Since 2004, none of them has managed to get into the federal parliament. Fragmentation is one of the key features of Russia’s liberal movement. The liberals have tried to unite more than once, but to little avail. The liberal wing saw a sort of renaissance against the backdrop of 2011-2012 protests, but that movement has now dwindled, in particular, after Crimea’s re-unification with Russia, which drew their strong criticism.

“These organizations have low ratings and are going against the mainstream,” says political scientist Alexey Makarkin. Some pragmatic tasks might serve as a real incentive to unification, but there are none. “Coalitions are good when there are clear aims achievable in the near future. All divergence of opinion then may be brushed aside for the time being,” he told the daily Novyie Izvestia.

Political scientist Boris Makarenko disagrees the failure of this initiative is predetermined only because all of the previous attempts by the liberals to unite failed. Whether they will succeed to create an effective coalition will depend not only on them, but also on the situation in the country,” he told TASS.

http://en.itar-tass.com/opinions/1982

We rarely hear about the liberal opposition in Russia. It exists but it seems to be very weak.