You're reading: Russia: 2 liberal opposition parties merge

Two liberal opposition parties say they are joining forces as they try to merge in the wave of anti-Kremlin protests.

Marginalized and fractured after Vladimir Putin’s 12 years in power, Russia’s liberals found themselves estranged from massive rallies that drew tens of thousands of Russians in recent months.

The People’s Freedom Party, also known as Parnas, said Saturday it would unite with Russia’s Republican Party, and said they would push the Kremlin to free political prisoners and hold parliamentary and presidential elections by 2013.

Parnas was formed in 2011 by three opposition leaders, including former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and former deputy premier, Boris Nemtsov. The party was barred from recent parliamentary and presidential elections that ignited the protests.