The Congress of People’s Deputies is a transitional parliament established upon the initiative of 59 Russian deputies, of various levels, from the federal to the municipal, to exercise legislative power after the coming final collapse of the regime of Vladimir Putin – who is a usurper of power.
In the present conditions, when it is impossible to hold democratic elections in Russia, members of the Federal Assembly, regional legislative bodies, municipal deputies, as well as elected representatives of the executive power are the only representatives of society and the state with democratic legitimacy, received by them from Russian citizens – their voters. Regardless of external circumstances, after the de facto ban on legal political activity in Russia, they are now the only legitimate bearers of power in Russia.
People’s representatives with such a legitimate mandate today must fulfill their obligations to the voters, to all Russian citizens, to their country and to future generations. The essence of these obligations is the creation of a legitimate center of power, which in the future will form the Government of national unity and power structures of Free Russia, and they, in turn, will provide everything necessary for the legal and democratic reestablishment of the Russian State.
The Congress of People’s Deputies will carry out the functions of the Russian Parliament from the moment of ousting of Putin’s Regime from power, till the end of the transition period during which the political system of Russia will be restarted and legitimate bodies of power will be democratically elected. After that, the Congress will be dissolved, and its decisions will have to be confirmed by the new parliament.
On November 4-7, 2022, the first plenary session of the Congress was held in Jablonna (outskirts of Warsaw), Poland. It adopted the following resolutions:
- The Fundamental Declaration of the Congress, setting the worldview that unites all the delegates;
- The Act on the Work of the Transitional Parliament, which defines the legal basis of the work of the Congress;
- The Act on the Resistance Movement, which defines the self-organization and legal framework of the protest movement in the Fatherland and abroad;
- A list of priority legislative acts to be enacted immediately after the change of power, including the Peace Act, the Lustration Act, the Economic Freedom Act, the Freedom of Speech Act and other major decisions;
The Congress of People’s Deputies created a working group to develop the concept of a new Russian Constitution.
The First Congress also made a decision to enter into an agreement to create an International Anti-authoritarian Union designed to coordinate the fight against authoritarian regimes throughout the post-Soviet space.
The Congress also addressed the peoples of Russia, Ukraine, and the world, as well as the parliaments and governments of the anti-Putin coalition countries. Separately, the Congress called upon the representatives of various political movements of the Russian opposition to cooperate in shaping the future of Russian legislation.
Democracy and rule-of-law cannot be postponed “for the future”. Democracy and rule-of-law begin, here and now, and together with them, a new, free Russia begins. And those who have the legitimate authority to lay the first stone for the foundation of our future – the future without war and without tyranny – not only can, but must act to do so!