177 delegates from 20 Russian regions took part in the conference. These were representatives of human rights organizations, SPS and Yabloko parties, United Civil Front and NDSR movements, also unregistered Republican Party.  

The forum was opened by the Yabloko member Mikhail Amosov. It was supposed to be done by his colleague Maxim Reznik, but the leader of the St Petersburg branch of Yabloko party had been summoned to the prosecutor’s office especially on that day, allegedly to get acquainted with the materials “proving” him to be “harmful” for the community (he has been in detention recently on a charge of bashing the police officers). Mr. Reznik told to a Novaya Gazeta correspondent that summoning him to come to the Prosecutor’s office on a holiday violates his right for the rest, but he wouldn’t give a handle to the law enforcers to arrest him again. So he joined the conference after his visit to the investigator was over.  

A former soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky was first to take the floor. He noted that organizing the parties in the late 80’s was a mistake and that it was better to organize movements then, which later would turn into parties. Mr. Bukovsky is convinced that with the current situation being similar to that of the past, it’s necessary to come back to organizing the mass movements of resistance. 

Nikita Belykh, the leader of SPS, did not agree to Vladimir Bukovsky. He suggested concluding “truce” among democrats and avoiding public criticism of one another. Mr. Belykh stated the definition of the Russian agenda to be the main question of today, and not the integration of democratic movements. He also posed a number of questions like “where does the dialog with the authority stop to be possible?”, “Are democrats ready to take part in elections and carry out party policies?”, and “Are democrats ready for joint actions for the benefit of the country?”  

Garry Kasparov, the leader of the United Civil Front, was more radical in his assessment of the situation. According to him, there is no sense trying to make arrangements with the authority. “Today we are talking almost about the same thing we did in the 80’s – that’s about the role of the Communist party” (today this is about United Russia). In Garry Kasparov’s view, today’s democrats must struggle not to win in the election, but for carrying out the really fair elections at all.   

Ilia Yashin, one of the leaders of the youth branch of Yabloko, called the existing ideology in the country to be “managerial”. He suggested that democrats, first, get rid of their snob’s reputation and, second, unite and determine themselves for renewal. He pointed to national primaries as to one of possible ways providing for the change of leaders if it turns out to be necessary. “The competition inside of the democratic movement is no less important than the political competition in the nation-wide scale” added Ilia Yashin.