THE QUESTION OF RUNNING
IN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

    Strategically, parliamentary illusions from the side of the working class are not only self-deceptive but are harmful and can become extremely dangerous.
    Through parliamentary reformism workers will never achieve a long-lasting and solid improvement of living conditions, will never achieve victory. This illusion - parliamentary cretinism - should be fought and its harmfulness should be exposed to the core.
    In terms of tactics, this question should be solved depending on the concrete situation, taking into account the objective and subjective conditions that characterize it. In the conditions of a revolutionary situation, of growth of the revolutionary enthusiasm of the masses, the participation of the proletariat in bourgeois elections will only divert the working class from it's revolutionary goals and discredits the working class. In the conditions of the lack of such a revolutionary situation, with a declining revolutionary movement or an immature workers' movement, in a situation of reaction and political backwardness, the participation in elections is not only desirable but is even necessary.

WHAT IS THE SITUATION IN RUSSIA TODAY?

    The massive discontent of the population about the standard of living and the present bourgeois regime is today overwhelming. The quality of the forms of struggle of the proletariat is definitely growing: the masses are passing from harmless expressions of protest and rallies towards the formation of class organizations at the regional and occupational level and towards forms of protest that include more radical resistance against exploitation. However this struggle still remains at the level of economic struggle. This struggle is still weak in terms of organization and eventually has some elements of anarchism. It is under the control of the bourgeoisie through different types of «patriotic», Zyuganovite, anarcho-syndicalist and other opportunist political organizations.
    The situation in Russia is characterized by growing social unrest that could lead to an uncontrolled social explosion, but the bourgeoisie still has control of the situation and still is able to divert the struggle of the masses who do not yet have a clear class leadership. As a result, one can conclude that the situation in Russia cannot yet be considered a revolutionary one, although this revolutionary situation may arise any time in the near future. The workers' movement is displaying a clear tendency to organize, but as a result of the lack of a political vanguard, as a result of the lack of experience in struggle and other reasons, today it is still in an immature and underdeveloped state.
    These considerations impel us to give a positive answer to the question of the correctness of the participation of the working class in bourgeois elections. This applies to tactical questions only, but no more. Under current conditions the participation of the working class in elections to local bodies and bourgeois parliament is correct and necessary.

WITH WHAT PURPOSE?

    The main goal - class agitation during election campaigns and the creation of workers' fractions.
    But workers' fractions should consist of organized, active and conscious wor