Since the end of the elections to the Russian parliament, a number of mass protests have taken place in the country. Outraged "non-systemic" opposition during rallies and street marches demanded the cancellation of the election results, citing the fact that their results were falsified. Subsequently, rallies of those who are dissatisfied with the political system in the country continued. The leaders of the opposition movement intend to hold public protests in the future. The next major rally is planned for October 2012.
At the rally timed to the Day of Russia, the main directions of the opposition's activities in the near future were determined. One of the leaders of the protest movement, Sergei Udaltsov, announced the so-called "Manifesto of Free Russia", which should become a program for future actions within the movement. The document contains demands for the release of those detained at the rally held on May 6, 2012, for the reform of the electoral system and the restructuring of the entire political life in the country.
One of the fundamental demands of the opposition is to provide the movement with airtime on federal channels, as well as to hold new early parliamentary and presidential elections. Most likely, these provisions of the manifesto will determine the actions of the opposition in the coming months. Among the opposition's demands, which will be presented during the next large-scale action, socio-economic slogans are also included: increasing salaries, pensions, expanding social guarantees. In this way, the protesters are trying to attract new segments of the population to participate in future rallies.
During the summer holidays, protests in the regions will continue, Udaltsov said. It was proposed to hold another major rally in Moscow on October 7, 2012, timed to coincide with the birthday of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Later it was decided to postpone this event until October 15th. It is planned that the next rally will be all-Russian and will be enough for all regions of the country. The rest of the time the leaders of the protest movement intend to spend in the regions of Russia, engaging in agitation.
Experts believe that the exact date of the next mass event will still be subject to adjustment. At a time when public interest in protest actions is gradually fading away, one should not expect that the next rally will bring together millions of disgruntled citizens across the country. The recent adoption of amendments to the rally legislation will also contribute to the tranquility of future rallies. The law tightened the requirements for the procedure for holding mass events, and also increased the liability of participants and organizers for illegal actions.
