"Party of crooks and thieves" ( Russian: Партия жуликов и воров – Partiya zhulikov i vorov, abbr. Russian: ПЖиВ – PZhiV [1]) is an expression widely circulating among opposition in Russia which is used to refer to the ruling United Russia party, led by Vladimir Putin. It was coined by blogger and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny in February 2011. [2] [3]
In 2013 far-right politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, speaking to Echo of Moscow, claimed to have used this expression in 2009. [4] In 2010 liberal politician Boris Nemtsov, speaking to Radio Liberty, described United Russia as "a party of thieves and corrupt officials". [5]
On February 2, 2011, in an interview with Finam FM radio station, blogger and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny responded to the question about United Russia: [6]
I think very poorly of United Russia. United Russia is the party of corruption, the party of crooks and thieves. [7]
The English translation "party of crooks and thieves" first appeared in an article of The New Yorker on April 4, 2011, by Russian-born American journalist Julia Ioffe. [7] The expression was also used by The Economist in October and December 2011. [8] [9]
The slogan was widely used during the 2011 Russian legislative election campaign [10] by parties and individuals. [11]
Posters, banners, stickers were common during the protests in 2011 and 2012.
While reporting on the two sessions, i.e. National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, CGTN Russian, a Russian-language Chinese media platform used the term in its video to introduce China's efforts to contain corruption. [12]
A Levada Center survey on July 19, 2011, revealed that 33% of Russians agree that United Russia is a "party of crooks and thieves", while 47% disagreed. [13] Another survey by the same center in June 2012 showed an increase in respondents agreeing with the characterization. Of the total, 47% agreed and 40% disagreed. [14] The latest survey was conducted in April 2013 by Levada Center. For the first time since 2011, it showed the majority of Russians (51%) agreeing with the phrase. [15] At the same poll, 62% of Russians said United Russia members are about "maintaining and strengthening their own power." [16]
In February 2011, Navalny created a poll in his LiveJournal blog in which around 38,000 people participated with over 96% agreeing with the characterization of United Russia as "party of crooks and thieves".[ citation needed]
On October 11, 2011, the Lyublinsky District Court rejected the lawsuit of United Russia member Vladimir Svirid against Navalny. [17]
On November 24, 2011, during a debate on Russia-1 between United Russia and the Liberal Democratic Party, State Duma Member Alexander Khinshtein (a member of United Russia) stated:
United Russia works. It does everything to change the life [standards] in our country. They tell us about a "party of crooks and thieves." I will respond them. It is better to be in a "party of crooks and thieves" than in a "party of murderers, rapists and robbers." [18]
The term "party of crooks and thieves" became a meme after Mr Navalny, an anti-corruption campaigner, first used it in February last year as an off the cuff remark about United Russia during a radio debate.
"They are a party of crooks and thieves," said popular anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny, who was one of those arrested in Moscow.
As both a lawyer and blogger, Navalny is considered a leading critic of the Kremlin. He was the first to call United Russia – the ruling centrist party of Russian President Vladmir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev – the "party of crooks and thieves."