One of the initiators of the establishment of the holiday was
Vladislav Surkov: On 29 September 2004,
Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow publicly supported the initiative of the Duma to establish 4 November as Unity Day, stating, "This day reminds us how in 1612 Russians of different faiths and nationalities overcame division, overcame a formidable enemy and led the country to a stable civil peace." On 4 October, the initiative was publicly supported by the first deputy head of the
United Russia faction,
Valery Bogomolov. In an interview with
RIA Novosti, Bogomolov stated that "in 1612, Russia was freed from the Polish invaders, and the 'times of unrest' ended." On 28 October 2004, in
Saratov on Teatralnaya Square, on the initiative of the Public Chamber of the region and the Youth Parliament of the region, an 8,000-strong rally of youth and representatives of public organizations was held in support of the course of reforms carried out by the President of the Russian Federation
Vladimir Putin. The speeches voiced support for the initiative to establish the celebration of 4 November as the Day of National Unity, which was included in the Address of the rally participants to President Putin. On 23 November 2004, a bill was submitted to the
State Duma for consideration of amendments to the
Labor Code of the Russian Federation: the abolition of the celebration of 7 November - the anniversary of the
Great October Socialist Revolution and 12 December - Constitution Day, an increase in the New Year holidays from 2 to 5 days, as well as the introduction of a new holiday on 4 November. The bill's authors are
Valery Bogomolov,
Oleg Yeremeev (
United Russia), and
Vladimir Zhirinovsky (
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia). The Duma adopted the bill in the first reading. The
communists opposed it. On 27 December 2004, the draft was adopted in the third reading and became law. 327 deputies voted in favor, 104 (all communists) voted against, two abstained. offering flowers to the
Monument to Minin and Pozharsky in
Red Square in 2008 ==Reception==