Monarchist Party

Monarchist Party of the Russian Federation is the only legal monarchist political party in Russia since 1917 Russian Revolution. It was created in 2012 by a prominent politician and businessman Anton Bakov, a former Member of Parliament. It declares its aim is restoration of monarchy in the country, with transforming it into modernized constitutional one "with full accordance to democratic procedures and current laws" as well as promoting the monarchist conception among Russians.

Creation and registration

Party's founding convention took place on April 7, 2012. It was announced about 1000 members joined the party at the time.^[1][2] In 2012 it was registered and licensed in Russian Ministry of Justice.^[3] By February 2013 it had organized 47 regional offices exceeding the necessary limit to participate in regional elections.^[4] The official location^[5] of the party is Kosulino settlement near Ekaterinburg city which is Bakov's residence and is known as the site where last Russian Tsar Nicholas II with his family were killed, with subsequent creation of the Soviet Union. The party was created as a part of Bakov's project of "Russian Empire" which is a micronation claiming to be a successor of former Russian Empire founded by Peter the Great, and pretending to its overseas territoires that were discovered by Russian sailors but not included into original empire's successor states—such as Suwarrow atoll, Antarctica and others.

Anton Bakov and writer Andrey Matveev present their book "Idols of power" which explains modern monarchist conception for Russia.

Attitude

The main goals for the party declared are monarchical idea promotion and consolidation of Russian monarchists in Russia and abroad. Bakov lists the party's goals as "proposing a successor to Throne; proclaiming a political program affordable for Monarchism in 21st century; and maintaining a proper propaganda to outline the benefits of monarchy, in particular, we have to carefully explain people why Vladimir Putin is not a monarch." He describes the need for the constitutional monarchy: "We cannot restore monarchic Autocracy, as it was with Romanovs, and don't need to. We can only have Constitutional Monarchy. This way we can separate irrational from rational. From one side, we will have a Monarch, who won't have absolute power. From the other side, we will have a responsible Government, reporting to society, and a Parliament. This way we can prevent ourselves from dictatorship."

In the beginning of 2013, Bakov and writer Andrey Matveyev presented their book Idols of Power: from Cheops to Putin. In the book, the authors claim they found power in the modern Russian Federation and in the former Soviet Union to be a result of setting up an ancient pagan cult, and monarchy turned to them the only constructive way for Russian politics to develop. In Bakov's words, the work on this book, where they were studying the nature of power and summarizing their political experience, led them to these conclusions and resulted in creation of the party.

Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen

Bakov describes the party as being different from other parties because: "The fundamental characteristic of Monarchist Party that makes us different from all others is that we are not a democratic party. We support monarchical governance, not republican. Nowadays, most Russians have liberal doctrines installed in their minds that say a person is master of his destiny, that people can elect power that will accomplish all what is told to it. This is myth by 99%. Our Party tries to expose that".^[6]

In June 2013, the party announced its candidate for the throne: it proclaimed the German Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen who also descends from the House of Romanov and, it is claimed, recently converted to Orthodox Christianity, together with his wife, and thus became a Successor, accepting Orthodox name Nikolai Kirillovich and his wife becoming Ekaterina Fedorovna. The succession configuration is set up by pre-Revolution Fundamental Laws of the Russian Empire, and party announced Nikolai Kirillovich as the legal claimant in accordance to them.^[7] Among Russian monarchists, this attitude is called "Legitimist" and "Cyrillist"—after Cyril Vladimirovich, Grand Duke of Russia, Karl Emich's great-grandfather, and cousin of Nicholas II, who created the Imperial House in emigration, and in 1924 proclaimed himself "Emperor in Exile", and died in 1938 (Bakov believes he was killed).

Activities

Ekaterina I portrait-monument in Ekatrinburg established by the Party

Monarchist consolidation

On February 1, 2013 the party held a monarchist congress in Paris, France, where representatives of several Russian monarchist movements gathered to discuss further developments.^[4] The Presidium for Russian Monarchist Movement was created, with representatives of monarchist organisations being invited into. It is supposed such gatherings to continue in the future. The party has set up a status of "Imperial Dynasty Member" for people from House of Romanov, and offered a reward of 2000 Euros per month for those of them who claim for it "as a sign of respect to people who did many things for Russia, but their properties in Russia were stolen and relatives who left in Russia were killed".^[8]

Memorials

The party proposes to set up a guard of honour at Grand Ducal Burial Vault in St. Petersburg where Cyril Vladimirovich together with spouse are buried, and to assign funds to finish reconstruction of the complex. In May 2013 the party had organized in Ekaterinburg the creation of a large portrait-monument dedicated to Empress Ekaterina I after whom the city is named. Ekaterina has not been memorialized in the city since beginning of Soviet times when the city was renamed Sverdlovsk. This coincided with 400th anniversary of Romanov House. Also in discussions are plans for a memorial to Karl, Prince of Leiningen, who died in 1946 in Soviet captivity—he was the husband of Grand Duchess Maria Kirillovna and Prince Karl Emich's grandfather.

Objects of interest

In early 2013, the party founded the Imperial Palace Fund aimed at re-creation of three ancient imperial palaces in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Ekaterinburg. These are Podzorny Palace, Srednerogatsky Palace and Belovezhsky Palace—they are supposed to be re-built by older blueprints not in their historical places but at locations suitable to attract tourists. It is proposed that they be used as homes for Romanov family descendants during their visits to Russia, and for general popularization of monarchism. On September 4, 2013, the ceremonial stone for the copy of Belovezhsky palace was laid near Ekatrinburg. The stone was taken out of the ruins of original palace in modern Białowieża, Poland.^[9][10]

The party, under signature of Nikolai Kirillovich, has sent a letter to Vladimir Putin asking him to assign a plot of land in the city of Ekatrinburg to establish a "Vatican analogue"—a city-state called "All-Russian Imperial Throne" aimed also to attract tourists and to correct the primary image of the city as the place of Tsar family assassination.^[11]

Ekaterinburg elections

The party participated in mayoral elections in Ekaterinburg on September 8, 2013. The candidate for mayor was Bakov's 22-year old daughter Anastassia, a singer and actress living in Moscow who recently graduated from Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute. She campaigned with references to evaluations on city's authorities, and to God, who is the keeper of monarchy and protector of people. Also, there 57 students ran as the party's candidates for elections for City Duma.^[12]

See also

• Anton Bakov
• Line of succession to the former Russian throne
• Our Lady Derzhavnaya
• Consecration of Russia

References

• The article mainly relies on translation of the corresponding Russian article ru:Монархическая партия where sources in Russian language are stated.^{[citation needed]}

Links

• (Russian) Monarchist Party of the Russian Federation
• Imperial Palace Fund

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