Yekaterina Duntsova appears moderate and wants to transform Russia. She was not allowed to run in the presidential election. Now she is founding a new party – if she succeeds.
A new party is being founded today – but the media in Russia is silent about the project called “Rassvet”, Sunrise. And party founder Yekaterina Duntsova has practically no longer appeared in newspapers or on state television since she was excluded from the presidential election by the Central Election Commission last December. According to the official reason, the documents submitted were incorrect. End of a candidacy after just one month. Because, Duntsova believes:
An opposition candidate cannot be like me. But he has to be a freak about whom people say: ‘Look at him, a strange person.’ If the opposition candidate is completely normal, citizens might think: ‘Wow! We still have an opposition and it’s pretty okay.’
Be careful in your choice of words and demeanor
It is precisely this completely normal, rather reserved nature that stands out about the 41-year-old journalist and lawyer, who politically inconspicuously ran local politics in the Tver region for a few years until, at the end of November, when she announced, as a complete unknown at the national level, that she would inherit President Vladimir Putin in the March election to want.
The headline of their election campaign: “Let’s give the future back to the country!” Cautious in her choice of words – so as not to violate any of the stricter censorship laws, she promised an end to the war against Ukraine – or, officially: the military special operation.
Nobody explains the background to the Russians, says Duntsova: “A denazification of Ukraine – what does that actually mean? It’s not clear to many people, but they are caught up in the propaganda of the national television channels, which report from morning to night about enemies everywhere are and must be fought.”
Political pressure at every turn
The end of Duntsova’s presidential bid did not mean a withdrawal – on the contrary, she and her supporters determinedly pursued the founding of a new party. The organizing committee of “Sunrise” got started in January, and Dunzowa reported on every step in great detail via social media. She toured the Russian regions because there must have been meetings in half of them before the founding congress of the nationwide party can take place.
It should be available at the beginning of March, formally registered in good time. But just ten days before the date, the Moscow hotel surprisingly canceled the hall rental – unfortunately, unfortunately, an accident, they said.
Dunzowa repeatedly experienced political pressure during her travels through the country: sometimes she was questioned by the authorities, sometimes a room with supporters was cleared by the police.
Because on the new party’s task list it sees things like the release of all political prisoners, the strengthening of local self-government, the fight against widespread homophobia, and the end of the so-called special military operation.
Patriotism speech on Instagram
On Instagram, actually blocked in Russia, she addressed the new Russian patriotism:
Patriotism is more often understood as loyalty and obedience to the current regime. We often hear that the strongest form of patriotism is the willingness to die for our country. But is that really true? Or are we simply asking us to defend the government with its dubious worldview? And vice versa: Citizens who take part in peaceful actions and disagree with the regime’s actions are increasingly being branded as traitors. But why are we traitors? Maybe the opposite is true? Real love for one’s homeland requires sometimes not agreeing with the regime and its representatives.
In Russia, only those who are really interested will see the founding party conference of “Rassvet”, the sunrise, so to speak. May 1st is a holiday and the state media will continue to be very cautious in reporting on Duntsova’s project. The delegates do not meet in Moscow, but in a small suburb called Golitzyno.
What is astonishing, however, is that the founding party conference is actually taking place; that Yekaterina Duntsova succeeded in launching a new opposition party.
Frank Aischmann, ARD Moscow, tagesschau, May 1st, 2024 6:17 a.m