A Just Russia – For Truth facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Socialist Political Party "A Just Russia – Patriots – For Truth" Социалистическая политическая партия «Справедливая Россия – Патриоты – За правду»
Abbreviation	SRZP
Chairman	Sergey Mironov
Co-chairmen	Zakhar Prilepin Vacant
First Secretary of Central Council's Presidium	Alexander Babakov
State Duma faction leader	Sergey Mironov
Founders	Sergey Mironov Alexander Babakov Igor Zotov [ru]
Founded	28 October 2006; 18 years ago (2006-10-28) (original form) 28 January 2021; 4 years ago (2021-01-28) (current form)
Merger of	Rodina (factions) Russian Party of Life People's Party Socialist United Party Party of Social Justice Patriots of Russia For Truth
Headquarters	Moscow, Russia
Membership (2012)	400,000 (claimed)
Ideology	Social democracy Social conservatism National conservatism Eurasianism
Political position	Centre to centre-left
National affiliation	All-Russia People's Front National Patriotic Forces of Russia
Continental affiliation	Forum of Socialists of the CIS Countries [ru]
International affiliation	Socialist International (2008–2022)
Colours	Yellow      Red
Federation Council	3 / 178
State Duma	28 / 450
Governors	1 / 85
Regional parliaments	226 / 3,983
Ministers	0 / 31
Party flag
Political parties

The Socialist Political Party "A Just Russia – Patriots – For Truth" (SRZP) is a political party in Russia. It is also known as A Just Russia – For Truth. This party focuses on ideas like social fairness and traditional values.

It is seen as part of the "systemic opposition," meaning it works within the government system. The party generally supports the goals of President Vladimir Putin, including his foreign policy.

The party started on October 28, 2006. It was formed by combining several smaller parties. These included Rodina, the Russian Party of Life, and the Russian Pensioners' Party. Over time, more parties joined.

The party has called for a "New Socialism of the 21st Century." This idea aims to protect individual rights and create a strong welfare state. A welfare state is a system where the government helps its citizens with things like healthcare and education.

Party History

How the Party Got Its Name

The party's name has changed a few times:

• From October 28, 2006, to June 25, 2009, it was called A Just Russia: Motherland/Pensioners/Life.
• From June 25, 2009, to February 22, 2021, it was known as A Just Russia.
• Since February 22, 2021, its full name has been Socialist Political Party "A Just Russia – Patriots – For Truth".

How the Party Started

In 2006, a government official named Vladislav Surkov met with Sergey Mironov. Mironov was the leader of the Party of Life. Surkov suggested creating a two-party system in Russia. This would mean having two main parties that the government could rely on. One would be the ruling party, United Russia, and the other would be a "second leg."

Surkov believed this "second leg" party should be strong. It should have similar support to the other major parties combined. This would encourage United Russia to perform well. It would also spread President Putin's influence across the political field.

A Just Russia was officially formed on October 28, 2006. It was a merger of three parties: Rodina, the Russian Party of Life, and the Russian Pensioners' Party. Rodina was the largest of these, having won 9% of votes in the 2003 elections.

Former logo of the party until 2011

At the party's first meeting, chairman Sergey Mironov supported President Vladimir Putin's direction for the country. However, he also strongly criticized Putin's party, United Russia. Mironov called United Russia's control over resources a "monopoly." He described A Just Russia as a new "leftist political force" and a "hard opposition." Mironov stated, "if United Russia is the party of power, we will become the party of the people."

The party's goal was to strengthen Russia for its people. They wanted to create a fair society that respects traditions and history.

Early Election Wins

Sergey Mironov was the party's chairman from 2006 to 2011. He also led the Federation Council.

Soon after it began, A Just Russia took part in its first elections. Their candidate, Viktor Tarkhov, won the mayoral race in Samara. In March 2007, the party did well in regional elections. They even won a majority in the regional parliament in Stavropol Krai.

The rise of A Just Russia showed that Russia's leadership was becoming split between two parties. Before the 2007 Duma elections, the Kremlin decided to fully support United Russia. This was a challenge for A Just Russia, which had also hoped to gain from Putin's popularity.

In May 2007, Sergey Mironov suggested that A Just Russia merge with the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. His goal was to create a new, unified socialist party.

2007 Duma Elections

Before the December 2007 Duma elections, President Vladimir Putin openly supported the United Russia party. He even led their national list. This greatly boosted United Russia's popularity. It was a setback for A Just Russia, which had also hoped to benefit from Putin's support.

A Just Russia chose three main people for its national list: chairman Sergey Mironov, Svetlana Goryacheva, and Sergey Shargunov. The party campaigned as a socialist choice, different from the Communists.

In the end, A Just Russia received 7.74% of the votes. This allowed them to enter the Duma, Russia's parliament. They won 38 out of 450 seats. Their best results were in Astrakhan (20%), Saint Petersburg (16%), and Stavropol (13%). Mironov chose not to take his seat in the Duma. Instead, he continued as the Chairman of the Federation Council.

After the 2007 Election

On December 10, 2007, A Just Russia joined other parties to nominate Dmitry Medvedev for the 2008 presidential elections.

In April 2008, A Just Russia held its third annual meeting. They made changes to their rules to make it easier for other parties to join them. In June 2008, A Just Russia became a member of the Socialist International. This is a global organization of social-democratic political parties.

The United Socialist Party of Russia and the Russian Ecological Party "The Greens" joined A Just Russia in 2008.

From 2007 to 2011, A Just Russia strongly supported President Dmitry Medvedev's plans to modernize Russia. They wanted Russia to move towards a more diverse economy and a more democratic political system. They also pushed for direct elections for governors and a lower voting threshold for Duma elections.

In 2010, Sergey Mironov said that his party no longer supported Vladimir Putin in everything. This caused a disagreement with United Russia. The two parties signed an agreement to work together on some issues. However, A Just Russia pulled out of the agreement a month later.

In April 2011, Nikolai Levichev was elected as the new party leader. In May 2011, Mironov was removed from his position as Chairman of the Federation Council. In August 2011, the party announced it would become a full opposition party.

2011 Duma Elections

In the 2011 legislative elections, A Just Russia received 13% of the votes. This increased their number of seats in the Duma to 64.

After reports of voting fraud, party members joined protests against the election results. Important party members like Gennady Gudkov and Oksana Dmitriyeva took part in these demonstrations.

2012 Presidential Election

Sergey Mironov was chosen as the party's candidate for the 2012 presidential election. Mironov said he wanted to win and promised to make Oksana Dmitriyeva prime minister if he was elected. He called for a return to a socialist way of governing. Mironov came in last place, with 3.85% of the votes.

After the 2012 Election

In May 2012, Mironov wore a white ribbon during a State Duma session. This ribbon was a symbol used by those protesting against Putin's re-election. The party remained silent during the discussion of a bill to increase fines for protest violations. Mironov said the party "fundamentally disagrees" with the bill.

However, in October 2012, Mironov told party members to stop wearing the white ribbon. He urged them to distance themselves from the opposition. He even threatened to remove members like Ilya Ponomaryov and Gudkov for joining the opposition's Coordination Council. Many members who actively protested later left or were removed from the party.

In October 2013, Mironov was re-elected as party leader. By 2014, A Just Russia, along with other major parties, supported Putin's foreign policy. This included the annexation of Crimea.

2016 Duma Elections

In the 2016 legislative elections, A Just Russia received 6% of the votes. They lost many seats, keeping only 23.

2018 Presidential Election

In December 2017, Mironov announced that the party would not have its own candidate for the 2018 presidential election. He said he didn't want to fight "for second place." Instead, the party would support Putin. Mironov stated that A Just Russia was, and would remain, in opposition to United Russia, but not "in opposition to Russia herself."

A van advertising the Just Russia political party in Ryazan. The text says: "There will be changes!"

2021 Duma Elections

Before the 2021 legislative elections, A Just Russia merged with the parties Patriots of Russia and For Truth in January 2021. This formed the new party, A Just Russia – Patriots – For Truth. Mironov remained the party leader.

Their goals included strengthening the government's role in the economy. They also wanted to increase the minimum wage, pensions, and social benefits. The party aimed to come in second place in the election. However, they ended up in third place, after United Russia and the Communist Party.

After the 2021 Election

In February 2022, the party voted to recognize the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic. Later, they supported the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Because of this, A Just Russia – For Truth was removed from the Socialist International in March 2022.

In July 2022, the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Gennady Zyuganov, suggested merging with A Just Russia – For Truth. He said this would happen if they adopted the Communist program.

Party Members

In 2012, the party stated it had 400,000 members. They claimed to be the largest left-wing party in Russia. They have offices in all regions of Russia.

Party Ideas and Goals

A Just Russia wants to create a welfare state with less economic inequality. This means they want the government to help people more and reduce the gap between rich and poor. However, they also want to protect individual property rights and keep a market economy.

Under Sergey Mironov's leadership, the party has presented itself as a socialist choice. They call their ideas "New Socialism of the 21st century." This "New Socialism" is described as the opposite of "unfair, rich-controlled capitalism." It focuses more on individual freedom within a socialist system.

The party's main goal is to improve the lives of average Russians. They want to change Russia's 13% flat-rate income tax to a progressive taxation system. This means people who earn more would pay a higher percentage in taxes. They also want to increase spending on programs that help people find jobs.

In Russia's international relations, A Just Russia suggests moving away from the Western countries. They want to strengthen relationships with the countries that were once part of the Soviet Union. The party also opposes certain "western" ideas, such as LGBT rights.

Party Leaders

A Just Russia Chairmen

No.	Portrait	Chairmen	Took office	Left office
1		Sergey Mironov (b. 1953)	October 28, 2006	April 16, 2011
2		Nikolai Levichev (b. 1953)	April 16, 2011	October 27, 2013
3		Sergey Mironov (b. 1953)	October 27, 2013	February 22, 2021

A Just Russia – For Truth Chairmen

Chairman					Co–chairmen
No.	Portrait	Chairman	Took office	Left office	No.	Portrait	Co–Chairman	Took office	Left office
3		Sergey Mironov (b. 1953)	February 22, 2021	Still in office	1		Zakhar Prilepin (b. 1975)	February 22, 2021	Still in office
			2		Gennady Semigin (b. 1964)	October 26, 2024	Still in office
			3		Ruslan Tatarinov (b. 1970)	Expected to be appointed in autumn 2025

International Relations

A Just Russia was a member of the Socialist International. However, on March 7, 2022, the party was removed from this group. This happened because they supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The party also has friendly connections with left-wing political parties in Latin America. They have sent greetings to meetings of the São Paulo Forum many times.

Election Results

Presidential Elections

State Duma Elections

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Rank	Government
2007	Sergey Mironov	5,383,639	7.7	38 / 450		4th	Support
2011	Nikolai Levichev	8,695,522	13.2	64 / 450	26	3rd	Opposition
2016	Sergey Mironov	3,275,053	6.2	23 / 450	41	4th	Opposition (2016–2020)
							Support (2020–2021)
2021		4,201,715	7.5	27 / 450	4	4th	Support

Parties That Joined A Just Russia

Many parties have joined A Just Russia over the years:

• Patriots of Russia (January 2021)
• For Truth (January 2021)
• Party of Social Justice (September 2008)
• United Socialist Party of Russia (May 2007)
• People's Party of the Russian Federation (April 2007)
• Party of Entrepreneurship Development (2007)
• Party of Constitutional Democrats (2007)
• The Greens (June 2009 – February 2012; later became independent again)
• Rodina (October 2006 – September 2012; later became independent again)
• Russian Pensioners' Party (October 2006 – April 2012; later became independent again)
• Russian Party of Life (October 2006)

See also

In Spanish: Rusia Justa para niños