New People

New People
Name	New People
Native name	Новые люди
Founded	2019
Leader	Alexey Nechayev
Headquarters	Moscow
Ideology	Liberal conservatism; technocracy
Position	Centre-right
Colors	Orange
Seats1 title	State Duma
Country	Russia

New People is a political party in the Russian Federation established in 2019 by entrepreneur Alexey Nechayev. It entered national politics rapidly, registering with the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and contesting regional and federal ballots. The party positioned itself as a market-oriented, pro-business alternative to established forces such as United Russia, Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and A Just Russia — For Truth. New People has sought to cultivate support among urban professionals, small and medium-size enterprises, youth voters and regional elites.

History

New People was formed by a team of activists, politicians and business figures around Alexey Nechayev after the 2018 presidential election cycle. It registered as a party with the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation and announced participation in regional elections, building on networks connected to private enterprises, civic initiatives and municipal deputies across Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Sverdlovsk Oblast. In 2020 and 2021 the party campaigned in legislative contests against incumbents from United Russia and newer groupings such as Smart Voting-aligned candidates. New People contested the 2021 State Duma election, gaining representation and triggering analysis from scholars at institutions like the Higher School of Economics, Moscow State Institute of International Relations, and research centers such as the Levada Center and Carnegie Moscow Center. Its emergence drew parallels with previous centrist formations including Yabloko, Civic Platform (Russia), and historical attempts such as Union of Right Forces and Right Cause.

Ideology and Principles

The party articulates a blend of market liberalism, technocratic pragmaticism and civic modernization, positioning itself between the platforms of United Russia and the social-democratic stances of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. New People emphasizes entrepreneurship policies familiar to supporters of Alexey Nechayev and corporate reform proposals reminiscent of debates in State Duma commissions on economic policy. Its declared principles reference entrepreneurship, digitalization, decentralization of authority to regional actors like Governors of Russia and legal reform topics that intersect with institutions such as the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation and legislative frameworks influenced by the Federation Council. Observers compared its rhetoric to ideas advanced by European centrist parties and market-oriented groupings such as En Marche! in France and Civic Democratic Party-style neoliberal currents in Central Europe, while analysts at Chatham House and Brookings Institution assessed its programmatic orientation.

Organization and Leadership

Leadership centers on founder Alexey Nechayev, who combined business leadership experience with party-building activities; the organizational structure included a federal council, regional branches in oblasts such as Krasnodar Krai, Novosibirsk Oblast, Rostov Oblast and municipal offices in cities like Kazan and Yekaterinburg. The party’s federal lists for elections featured entrepreneurs, municipal deputies, journalists and managers from sectors linked to digital platforms and retail—profiles comparable to earlier parliamentary entrants from Civic Platform (Russia) and Right Cause. Internal governance referenced statutes filed with the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation and electoral committees of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, with membership recruitment campaigns in universities including Moscow State University and technical institutes such as Bauman Moscow State Technical University.

Electoral Performance

New People achieved landmark results in the 2021 State Duma election, surpassing the five-percent threshold required for representation in the State Duma and obtaining seats that allowed entry into legislative committees. It also won mandates in regional legislatures including parliaments of Krasnodar Krai and Kaluga Oblast and municipal councils in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Electoral performance was analyzed by pollsters such as the Levada Center, VTsIOM and commentators at outlets like Kommersant and Vedomosti, which compared its vote shares to those of Yabloko and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. Subsequent local elections produced mixed results, with gains in some urban districts and setbacks in regions dominated by United Russia’s administrative resources.

Policies and Platform

The platform prioritizes support for small and medium enterprises, regulatory simplification, promotion of digital infrastructure and incentives for innovations in sectors linked to retail chains, logistics and information technology. Proposed measures referenced tax policy debates overseen by the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation and proposals affecting regulation intersecting with agencies like the Federal Tax Service (Russia) and Federal Antimonopoly Service (Russia). The party advocated for administrative modernization in regional offices, municipal reforms affecting Mayors and urban planning in cities such as Moscow and Saint Petersburg, healthcare initiatives comparable to policy discussions in the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, and educational reforms that would touch institutions like Higher School of Economics and Moscow State University.

Reception and Criticism

Reactions ranged from praise by business media including Forbes Russia and RBC (news agency) for its pro-market agenda to skepticism from commentators in Novaya Gazeta, Meduza and academic critics at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration about its ties to corporate interests. Rival parties such as United Russia and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation criticized its electoral strategies and alliances. International observers at the European Council on Foreign Relations and media outlets like BBC News and The New York Times discussed whether New People functioned as an independent parliamentary force or as a managed alternative within the broader Russian political landscape. Legal scholars debated the party’s stances in relation to jurisprudence from the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation and legislative practice in the State Duma.

Category:Political parties in Russia