Associations et partis en Russie : les (en) jeux de la différenciation

Abstract

In his public statements, Vladimir Putin has extensively drawn upon the theme of the separation of parties and associations, a deliberate gesture towards the political debates of the early 1990s. At the time, it was a question of putting an end to the fusion of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and social organizations. Though the context is no longer the same – today’s political space is tightly controlled by the authorities, with the administration striving to drive a wedge between liberal parties and human rights associations – this theme has returned to center stage over the past decade. This example sheds light on the process by means of which liberal political theories are reinterpreted in contemporary Russia. By forcing differentiation between liberal parties and human rights associations, the state encourages the reintegration of each into an administrative sphere that now serves as the “political” field. The requests of associations are no longer transmitted via political parties to elected institutions such as the Parliament but are rather addressed by committees and councils appointed by the authorities. In other words, the differentiation of parties and associations facilitates the de-differentiation of these actors and the state.