Russian opposition party RPR-Parnas, which was co-founded by slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, announced two major changes to the faction’s structure Sunday, and voiced hope that two of Russia’s most famous opposition activists could soon be perched at its helm.
Nemtsov had been serving as RPR-Parnas’ co-chairman when he was gunned down outside the Kremlin in February. At the party’s convention Sunday, Mikhail Kasyanov was elected its sole leader, and the party’s name was shortened to Parnas.
Kasyanov told reporters during the convention that though Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and prominent former oil tycoon-turned-activist Mikhail Khodorkovsky were not yet members of the party, that may soon change, and indeed they could one day serve as the party’s co-chairmen. “I think in the future the time will come,” he was quoted by state-run news agency RIA Novosti as saying Sunday.