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Vladimir Ryliakov, former strike organizer in the OSTK trade union, debuted as chairman of the Republican Party with controversy

TIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - The Respublika organization, the main political vehicle of Pridnestrovie's president Igor Smirnov, officially registered as a formal political party on 27 January, and in the process changed its name to the Republican Party of Pridnestrovie.

But not everyone is happy. Although initially listed as co-founders, the Union of the Defenders of Pridnestrovie - an organization of survivors who repelled the 1992 Moldovan invasion - denied the claims Monday. It called the claims of the Republican Party a "falsification" although it conceded that on a personal basis, some members may have Republican sympathies.

The new party is one of the largest in the unrecognized country. Previously known as Respublika, it was active in the municipal elections in the spring of 2005 and also fielded candidates in the December 2005 parliamentary elections. It is supportive of president Igor Smirnov and staffed with politicians seen as Smirnov loyalists. Igor Smirnov, a staunch independence leader, has also been supported by the Union of Defenders of Pridnestrovie in the past.

" - The Republican Party of Pridnestrovie compares itself to the Patriotic Party of Pridnestrovie and to the Party Renewal. These groups can be considered our most serious opponents," said Nikolai Smolenskiy, Respublika's first deputy chairman of political strategy.

During the Constituent Conference of the Republican Party of Pridnestrovie, several speakers from the rostrum repeatedly claimed that different patriotic and veteran organizations had joined the Republican Party as co-founders. Among those named were the Union of Defenders of Pridnestrovie, a group of veterans of the 1992 war where Moldova attacked and attempted to invade Pridnestrovie in order to establish its territorial claim.

Controversy over the new party's launch

On Monday, speaking to news agency PMR News, the leader of the Union of Defenders of Pridnestrovie, Yevgeny Trukhanov, made it clear that his Union does not support the Republican Party:
" - I found out about this from the audience, while I was a guest of the Conference. This information shocked me and astonished me, because it is falsification. Yes, on a personal basis, individual members of our Union may be part of different parties, including the Republican Party. But in accordance with its bylaws, the Union of Defenders of Pridnestrovie can’t become part of any political organizations.”

" - In this situation I want to warn officially our members that the Union’s Authority will use strong measures to combat any insinuations involving the Union of Defenders of Pridnestrovie. The authority of our organization was won not easily and we will never let anyone gamble with," emphasized Yevgeny Trukhanov.

The new Republican Party represents the second largest block of MPs in the unrecognized country's parliament, smaller in size only to the opposition party Renewal led by Yevgeny Shevchuk, 38, who is the current Speaker of Parliament.

The new leader of the Republican Party of Pridnestrovie is a well known independence activist. Ever since the birth of Pridnestrovie (known internationally under names such as Transnistria, Trans-Dniester and Transdniestria) for the last seventeen years, he has been active in pro-independence lobbying and organizing.

Vladimir M. Ryliakov was shop foreman in the “Elektromash” factory in Tiraspol during the breakup of the Moldavian SSR within the Soviet Union. In 1989, he co-chaired the United Republican Strike Committee, and he became chairman of the OSTK (United Work Collective Council) in 1990. In 1990, he was also elected Peoples' Deputy to the Tiraspol city government where he soon became vice-chairman, and he was among the first batch of MPs in the 1990 election to Pridnestrovie's first parliament shortly after independence was declared on 2 September 1990.

See also:
» More new parties in Pridnestrovie as youth group joins the fray [1]
» In PMR, Zhirinovsky followers form new political party [2]
» New political party "People's Will" founded by Members of Parliament [3]
» Transdniester opposition leader holds Internet "democracy townhall" [4]