Zyuganov re-elected as the chairman of the CCRCP

Gennady Zyuganov has preserved control over part of the Russian Communist Party after his supporters re-elected him as the chairman of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party at a plenum held late on Saturday.

The congress organized by Zyuganov's supporters was held at the Izmailovo concert hall on Saturday. The delegates passed several resolutions, including a decision to cut the Central Committee of the Communist Party from 155 to 120 people. Several amendments to the Charter were made. For example, a six-month probation term was established for candidates who want to join the Communist Party.

The congress also adopted a resolution, stating that despite attempts to split the party, the Communist Party of Russia had preserved its integrity. The delegates link the attempts to split the Communist Party to the authorities' policy designed to destroy the party.

The congress of the supporters of Gennady Zyuganov excluded Ivanovo reigon governor Vladimir Tikhonov from party ranks. An alternative Communist Party Congress of Zyuganov's opponents elected Tikhonov as the new Communist leader.

Tikhonov told a news conference after his election that his main task was to try to restore the party's integrity. He noted that the Central Committee of the alternative Communist Party included not only his supporters but also delegates to the congress organised by Zyuganov's supporters. "We understand that sooner or later everything will fall into place," Tikhonov explained.

The alternative congress elected a new 103-member Central Committee, 74 candidates to the Central Committee and 14 members of the auditing commission.

According to the latest reports, 146 delegates attended the congress. Their mandates were officially confirmed.

The congress also decided to elaborate a new programme of the Communist Party and amended its charter to bar the party leader from holding his office for more than two terms.

In the meantime, Tikhonov is sure that Russia has had and will always have only one Communist Party. He said that the Ministry of Justice had already recognized as illegitimate the plenum that was held on July 1-2 and decided to terminate Zyuganov¡¯s term as the party leader ahead of time.

Tikhonov announced that he was ready for compromises with Zyuganov for the sake of preserving the party's unity. Tikhonov told reporters before leaving the Theatre Centre downtown Moscow that one of the governors had already conveyed to Zyuganov his request to start negotiations. Tikhonov himself has phoned Zyuganov's secretariat but Zyuganov hasn't called him back.

Source: Itar-Tass