Committee 2008

<h2 id="history">History</h2>
<p>It was formed in response to the failure of <a href="/facts/Yabloko/mK0WRwAP">Yabloko</a> and the <a href="/facts/Union_of_Right_Forces/uBjdeBYB">Union of Right Forces</a> to gain any seats in the 2003 elections to the State Duma, and to the growing authoritarianism of President <a href="/facts/Vladimir_Putin/DcQdxqbj">Vladimir Putin</a> who was re-elected in March 2004 with over 70% of the votes cast.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a>
</p><p>The Committee's goal was to ensure free and fair presidential elections in 2008. Putin was due to step down as President, after serving two terms, and the Committee intended to work against the election of the Kremlin's chosen successor, whoever that might be. The chairman of the 2008 Committee was <a href="/facts/Garry_Kasparov/NNjULdHH">Garry Kasparov</a>; the original signatories of the 2004 declaration were Mikhail Berger, <a href="/facts/Vladimir_Bukovsky/Clbh8ITT">Vladimir Bukovsky</a>, Alexander Golts, <a href="/facts/Igor_Irtenyev/Q7JUM694">Igor Irtenyev</a>, <a href="/facts/Vladimir_Vladimirovich_Kara-Murza/J3lbh1AA">Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr.</a>, <a href="/facts/Yevgeny_Kiselyov/at9ehJkx">Yevgeny Kiselyov</a>, <a href="/facts/Yulia_Latynina/Y2pygfqk">Yulia Latynina</a>, Dmitry Muratov, <a href="/facts/Boris_Nemtsov/pR6wbW5n">Boris Nemtsov</a>, <a href="/facts/Sergey_Parkhomenko/nwr9KEgf">Sergey Parkhomenko</a>, Alexander Ryklin, <a href="/facts/Victor_Shenderovich/eruwmcNC">Victor Shenderovich</a> and Irina Yasina.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> Others who joined later were politicians <a href="/facts/Vladimir_Ryzhkov/vFBn9g4B">Vladimir Ryzhkov</a> and <a href="/facts/Irina_Khakamada/FjsQ4kKJ">Irina Khakamada</a>.
</p><p>The Committee was short-lived, holding its last meeting in summer 2005. A number of its members subsequently helped to set up the <a href="/facts/United_Civil_Front/lGY7nX6r">United Civil Front</a> and the much broader <a href="/facts/The_Other_Russia_(coalition)/WMLctImx">Other Russia</a> coalition (2006-2010) which were actively engaged in protest activities in 2007 and 2008.
</p>

<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li><a href="http://www.theotherrussia.org">The Other Russia - Official site</a></li>
<li>(in Russian) <a href="http://www.theotherrussia.ru/">Другая Россия - Official site</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140825181428/http://www.theotherrussia.ru/">Archived</a> 2014-08-25 at the <a href="/facts/Wayback_Machine/nmQ3a6JC">Wayback Machine</a></li>
<li>(in Russian) <a href="http://namarsh.ru/">Сайт «Марш несогласных»</a> - March of the Discontented</li>
<li>(in Russian) <a href="http://www.kasparov.ru/material.php?id=44B53927856E7">Итоговое заявление участников конференции «Другая Россия»</a> Concluding statement by the participants, www.kasparov.ru</li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>RIA electoral infographics, The Russian presidency 1991 to 2012. <a href="http://ria.ru/vybor2012_infographics/20120309/590825026.html" target="_blank">http://ria.ru/vybor2012_infographics/20120309/590825026.html</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>Declaration of the "2008 - A Free Choice" Committee, 29 January 2004 (retrieved 10 June 2015., <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20040129143422/http://komitet2008.ru/" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20040129143422/http://komitet2008.ru/</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Committee 2008 open-in-new

Committee 2008