On 20 February 2003, the party held a protest against an upcoming education reform and the government's proposed reduction in spending on science. SLON called on the Russian authorities to abandon their policy of austerity towards education and science. In 2003, Vladimir Shakhtin, a member of the Central Council of the party and a prominent opposition figure in the
Komi Republic, was elected head of the . In the elections to the regional Duma of the
Sverdlovsk Oblast, the SLON bloc received first place. In 2006, a criminal case was opened against Shakhtin for failure to comply with the decision of the Arbitration Court of the Republic to accept residential buildings on the city's balance sheet, as a result of which he was removed from the post of head of the city. In 2007, the case against Shakhtin was dropped due to his repentance. Vladimir Shakhtin himself linked his resignation to his party affiliation and refusal to cooperate with
United Russia: ==References==