Political Movement "Common Cause" Announces Self-disbandment

The political movement Common Cause, which is a co-founder of the coalition Union of Right Forces (known by the Russian acronym SPS), has declared self-disbandment, vice-speaker of the State Duma (the lower chamber of parliament) Irina Hakamada, leader of the SPS political bloc, was quoted as saying. On Monday, a conference of the Common Cause movement was held in Moscow, at which its leaders announced self-disbandment. Its members are going to later join the SPS party, whose constituent congress is due May 26 in Moscow. According to Hakamada, Common Cause as an SPS co-founder recommends advancing five candidates for SPS co-chairmanship--Sergei Kiriyenko, Boris Nemtsov, Yegor Gaidar, Anatoli Chubais, and Irina Hakamada. Common Cause recommended Nemtsov as chairman of the SPS political council and leader of the SPS party. The Common Cause self-disbandment declaration is the first one made by an SPS co-founder so that the coalition could eventually be converted into a party. Another SPS co-founder is the Democratic Choice of Russia political party. Its next congress will be convened May 19. This party plans on self-disbandment, too.

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