The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs is proud to host a Director's Seminar entitled "Democracy and Russia" with Vladimir Pekhtin, Igor Dines and Yury Medvedev, members of the Russian State Duma. Our guests will be offering their perspectives on the state of democracy in Russia and are sure to bring insights in light of current international crises. Mr. Pekhtin, Mr. Dines and Mr. Medvedev are all members of the Unified Russia political party which was formed in December 2001 by the centrist pro-presidential movements Unity and Fatherland - All Russia. The Unity and Fatherland - All Russia movements were founded prior to the 1991 elections to the Russian parliament. The two movements forged a successful Duma coalition, which collectively controls almost 30 percent of the legislature. This coalition is larger than any other political faction, including the Communist Party, and has been instrumental in supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin's reform agenda. Mr. Pekhtin, who serves as Leader of the Unity Duma Faction, is responsible for coordinating the work of the Unified Russia General Council (the party's governing body) in the State Duma. Mr. Dines serves on the Duma Committee on Budget and Taxes and is a member of the Duma Auditing Commission. He is also a member of Unified Russia's Central Auditing Commission. Mr. Medvedev is responsible for the party's coordination with Russian regional legislatures. He belongs to the Regions of Russia (Union of Independent Deputies) parliamentary group and is deputy chairman of the Duma Committee on Credit Organizations and Financial Markets. All three were elected to the Russian State Duma in 1999. Please join us for what is sure to be a stimulating and informative discussion. RSVP REQUIRED! Please RSVP to Kathleen Siddell by email at kathleen_siddell@harvard.edu or at 495-3745. Be sure to specify the event you will be attending. As space is limited for this event, RSVPs will be accepted on a first come - first served basis
