Democratic Choice of Russia
The Democratic Choice of Russia (Russian: Демократический выбор России) was a Russian political party that existed from 1994 to 2001.
Background and Establishment
At the elections to the State Duma held on December 12, 1993, the block Choice of Russia (the predecessor to the Democratic Choice of Russia) received 15.51% of the vote, and consequently, 40 seats in the State Duma.
On January 20, 1994, having lost influence over making economic decisions and opposed to the increase of budget expenditure, the leader of the Choice of Russia, Yegor Gaidar, resigned from the government headed by Viktor Chernomyrdin. At that point the Choice of Russia lost its status as a pro-government faction, yet at the same time it continued to support president Boris Yeltsin and the Chernomyrdin’s government by providing constructive criticism of the their policies.
On 12-13 June, 1994, the founding meeting of the party Democratic Choice of Russia was held. At the meeting, the party’s programme was adopted and its governing bodies were set up. Yegor Gaidar was elected as party chairman.
In 1995, the party contested the election in a coalition of (minor) like-minded group, forming the Democratic Choice of Russia - United Democrats.
Later, in 2001, it became the Union of Rightist Forces.