In 2011, a social movement appeared in Russia that united people who care about the fate of the country. The initiator of the creation of this association, which received the name of the All-Russian Popular Front, was V. Putin. Citizens who have an active life position and share its principles can join the organization.
ONF: tasks of a public association of citizens
In May 2011, the head of the Russian government, Vladimir Putin, decided to create the All-Russian Popular Front. The main tasks that were assigned to the merger:
- control over the execution of orders and decrees of the President;
- fight against waste and corruption, with ineffective spending of public finances;
- assistance in solving issues of improving the quality of life;
- protection of the rights of citizens.
The history of the creation of the All-Russian Popular Front
The ONF is a political association that was originally designed to facilitate the flow of fresh ideas, proposals and new faces to the United Russia party. The front was created on the eve of the legislative elections.
A few months before the start of the election campaign for the 6th convocation of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, sociological services noted a decline in the popularity of the United Russia party. Political analysts expressed the opinion that this political force may not gain a constitutional majority after the elections, which can guarantee the adoption of major decisions in this chamber of parliament.
In early May 2011, V. Putin, who at that time held the post of Prime Minister of the country, took part in a meeting of the conference of regional branches of United Russia in the Southern Federal District. Here the head of government announced that a new type of political association was being created. He noted that a political party needs an influx of fresh ideas and proposals, new people. It was necessary to secure the support of the party from those who are not its members. The most widespread political instrument in the world to achieve this goal is the “popular front”.
Within the framework of the ONF, up to 150 citizens who are not members of United Russia could enter the electoral lists. The leaders of the front being created believed that the new association could become the basis for the election of the future head of state, which was scheduled for the spring of 2012. If the union were successful in the Duma elections, it could nominate its own presidential candidate.
How the ONF was formed
The declaration on the creation of the ONF stated that the goal of the movement was to create a strong and sovereign Russia. It was assumed that those forces would join the movement that shared such efforts of the front organizers.
The statement on the creation of a popular front found a response among public organizations. One of the first to join the ONF was:
- "Union of Women of Russia";
- Federation of Independent Trade Unions;
- "Union of Pensioners of Russia";
- Russian Union of Afghanistan Veterans;
- Public organization of motorists "Freedom of choice".
Opposition movements were invited to join the All-Russian Popular Front. However, the representative of the Solidarity movement B. Nemtsov refused to join the ONF. S. Mironov, who led the "Fair Russia", did not accept this offer either.
Some political forces have announced that they intend to create their own counterparts of the All-Russian Popular Front. Indeed, the “Russian National Union” and the “Union of Cossacks of Russia” entered the united patriotic front “The Sovereign Union of Russia”. And the Communist Party of the Russian Federation declared that it was ready to oppose the initiative of V. Putin with its “People's Militia”.
By the end of May 2011, a number of opposition parties that did not have state registration, formalized their association - the so-called "Committee of National Salvation". Among its members were:
- "Other Russia";
- "ROT Front";
- "Left Front".
The organizers of the alternative front saw their goal in opposing the implementation of the "electoral show", which, in their opinion, was being played by the authorities.
The procedure for joining the organization
The admission of new participants to the ONF is organized as follows: the candidacies of member organizations are considered by a special body of the ONF - the coordination council, which began work on May 10, 2011. The council included 17 people representing the country's political and business elite. The organ was headed by Vladimir Putin. In the field, the admission of new members to the association is carried out by regional coordination councils.
In early June 2011, the leadership of the ONF announced that not only organizations, but also individuals who share the tasks of the movement and its guidelines, can join the association. To become a member of the All-Russian Popular Front, it was necessary to fill out a questionnaire on the website of the Prime Minister, indicate there the full name, gender, occupation, home address, e-mail address. A few days later, the number of those wishing to join the ONF reached 5 thousand people. The collectives of enterprises also got the opportunity to join the ONF. The first of these members were Russian Post and Russian Railways.
To date, the number of opportunities for registration of membership in the ONF has expanded. On the official website of the All-Russian Popular Front in the "Contacts" section, there are addresses of the regional branches of the All-Russian People's Front. The information contains the actual address of the branch, its e-mail address and contact phone number. Active citizens who wish to join the movement and become more useful to society can contact these organizations in their place of residence. Prerequisite: potential members of the front must share the goals and moral values of the social movement, and also be ready to actively contribute to the work of the front.
Those Russians who, for some reason, do not have access to the Internet, have the opportunity to enroll in the ONF through regional public receptions.
All-Russian Popular Front today
In 2018, ONF activists were actively collecting signatures in support of Vladimir Putin's nomination to participate in the presidential elections in Russia. Members of the association were also confidants of the president. On presidential election day, front activists were both voters and observers at polling stations.
After signing the May Decree on May 7, 2018, V. Putin called on the country's government to set an example of correct and constructive cooperation with the All-Russian United Front. The ONF has become one of the most massive public organizations, has become a prominent structure of civil society.
At the end of May 2018, a meeting of the Central Headquarters of the ONF took place, which was held in an expanded format. The meeting participants discussed the progress and results of control over the implementation of the decrees of the head of state and the leader of the association V. Putin.
Now ONF experts can not only evaluate the final reports of the government, but also formulate proposals, discuss them with front activists, with ordinary citizens who are not members of the association.
The purpose of the ONF asset is to promote increased participation of citizens of the country in the work of this movement, which has proven its effectiveness over several years of activity. The organization welcomes the civic position of those Russians who are active in solving social and political issues and strive to join the All-Russian Popular Front. One of the main principles of the movement, which has become the front of the struggle for a renewed Russia, says: the strength of the people lies in its unity.
According to the President of the country, over the past years, the ONF has gathered a large number of like-minded people who have gradually rallied into a powerful and effective force capable of setting ambitious goals and achieving their implementation in order to solve the key tasks facing Russia.
