More than 1,000 liberal activists, politicians and critics of President Vladimir Putin gathered at a congress in Moscow on Sunday to oppose what they called a rollback of democracy, while elsewhere in the city a nationalist congress called for "constructive opposition" to the Kremlin and about 15,000 supporters of the Moving Together group marched through the streets in support of Putin.
Also Sunday, the 10th anniversary of the Constitution, Putin signed into law a bill scrapping direct elections for governors and said he had "no plans" to change the Constitution.
"Democratic forces have to unite to stop this pseudo-democracy," Grigory Yavlinsky, leader of the liberal Yabloko party, said at the opening of the Civil Congress, called under the slogan, "Russia for Democracy and Against Dictatorship," at the Kosmos Hotel in northeast Moscow.
Yavlinsky was echoed by other critics of Putin, including former Union of Right Forces leader Boris Nemtsov, chess champion Garry Kasparov, independent State Duma Deputy Vladimir Ryzhkov, former presidential candidate Irina Khakamada, political analyst Georgy Satarov, and human rights activists Lyudmila Alexeyeva and Sergei Kovalyov.
Several speakers expressed concern that the Kremlin, which has this year pushed through a series of controversial bills aimed at increasing the authorities' control over elections and the political process, may move to change the Constitution to enable Putin to stay on in power after his second term of office expires in 2008.
"The choice is simple: In a couple of years, we will be left with either this Constitution or these authorities," Kasparov said. "I choose the Constitution."
However, while united in their concerns, the liberals differed dramatically in their plans of action. Satarov and several other speakers called for a more active dialogue with the authorities, while Kasparov demanded that the dialogue with the Kremlin be ended.
This mismatch of positions led to the omission of a joint position on relations with the authorities and on civil disobedience from the declaration adopted by the congress.
"No Orange Revolution is likely to break out here, in Russia," Nemtsov said, referring to the recent massive campaign of public protests in Ukraine over the country's presidential elections.
The congress also called on the Kremlin to begin negotiations with Chechen rebels and for Amnesty International to declare jailed Yukos executives political prisoners.
The congress set up an action committee to coordinate liberal opposition and elected Kasparov to head it.
At a rival congress at the Baumann State University, nationalist Rodina party leader Dmitry Rogozin told about 1,000 party supporters in a speech that opposition to the Kremlin should be constructive, and mixed anti-Western rhetoric with support for increased state control of politics and business.
"We have our own form of democracy that is historically and geopolitically acceptable to the Russian people and different from Western democracy. It implies state control over most important strategic areas of life," Rogozin told the congress, called "In Defense of the Nation and Citizens."
Meanwhile, Putin met with Constitutional Court judges and assured them that he had no intention of changing the Constitution.
"This is not foreseen and there are no such plans," he said.
Under the bill Putin signed into law Sunday on gubernatorial elections, instead of direct popular elections the president will submit nominations to regional legislatures, and will be able to dismiss governors.
Putin first touted the bill, along with scrapping single-mandate elections to the Duma, after the Beslan school attack in September as a way to bolster the state's defenses against terrorism, but his critics have labeled it anti-democratic and unconstitutional.
In western Moscow, about 15,000 people, mostly members of the Moving Together group affiliated with the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, took to the streets Sunday in support of Putin and the Constitution, under banners that read "United Power, United Country" and "Liberals + Communists = Berezovsky," in a reference to businessman Boris Berezovsky's financial support for opposition groups.
"Red and white, we are all together -- for Russia, for the president and for his reforms," a member of the procession told RIA-Novosti.
Staff Writer Nabi Abdullaev contributed to this report.
Also Sunday, the 10th anniversary of the Constitution, Putin signed into law a bill scrapping direct elections for governors and said he had "no plans" to change the Constitution.
"Democratic forces have to unite to stop this pseudo-democracy," Grigory Yavlinsky, leader of the liberal Yabloko party, said at the opening of the Civil Congress, called under the slogan, "Russia for Democracy and Against Dictatorship," at the Kosmos Hotel in northeast Moscow.
Yavlinsky was echoed by other critics of Putin, including former Union of Right Forces leader Boris Nemtsov, chess champion Garry Kasparov, independent State Duma Deputy Vladimir Ryzhkov, former presidential candidate Irina Khakamada, political analyst Georgy Satarov, and human rights activists Lyudmila Alexeyeva and Sergei Kovalyov.
Several speakers expressed concern that the Kremlin, which has this year pushed through a series of controversial bills aimed at increasing the authorities' control over elections and the political process, may move to change the Constitution to enable Putin to stay on in power after his second term of office expires in 2008.
"The choice is simple: In a couple of years, we will be left with either this Constitution or these authorities," Kasparov said. "I choose the Constitution."
However, while united in their concerns, the liberals differed dramatically in their plans of action. Satarov and several other speakers called for a more active dialogue with the authorities, while Kasparov demanded that the dialogue with the Kremlin be ended.
This mismatch of positions led to the omission of a joint position on relations with the authorities and on civil disobedience from the declaration adopted by the congress.
"No Orange Revolution is likely to break out here, in Russia," Nemtsov said, referring to the recent massive campaign of public protests in Ukraine over the country's presidential elections.
The congress also called on the Kremlin to begin negotiations with Chechen rebels and for Amnesty International to declare jailed Yukos executives political prisoners.
The congress set up an action committee to coordinate liberal opposition and elected Kasparov to head it.
At a rival congress at the Baumann State University, nationalist Rodina party leader Dmitry Rogozin told about 1,000 party supporters in a speech that opposition to the Kremlin should be constructive, and mixed anti-Western rhetoric with support for increased state control of politics and business.
"We have our own form of democracy that is historically and geopolitically acceptable to the Russian people and different from Western democracy. It implies state control over most important strategic areas of life," Rogozin told the congress, called "In Defense of the Nation and Citizens."
Meanwhile, Putin met with Constitutional Court judges and assured them that he had no intention of changing the Constitution.
"This is not foreseen and there are no such plans," he said.
Under the bill Putin signed into law Sunday on gubernatorial elections, instead of direct popular elections the president will submit nominations to regional legislatures, and will be able to dismiss governors.
Putin first touted the bill, along with scrapping single-mandate elections to the Duma, after the Beslan school attack in September as a way to bolster the state's defenses against terrorism, but his critics have labeled it anti-democratic and unconstitutional.
In western Moscow, about 15,000 people, mostly members of the Moving Together group affiliated with the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, took to the streets Sunday in support of Putin and the Constitution, under banners that read "United Power, United Country" and "Liberals + Communists = Berezovsky," in a reference to businessman Boris Berezovsky's financial support for opposition groups.
"Red and white, we are all together -- for Russia, for the president and for his reforms," a member of the procession told RIA-Novosti.
Staff Writer Nabi Abdullaev contributed to this report.