## Statute of the Foreign Organisation of the R.S.D.L.P.

1) The Foreign Organisation of the R.S.D.L.P. constitutes a union of local Party groups.

Any person who shares the programme, tactical and organisational principles adopted at the Party congresses may be a member of the F.O. All members of the F.O. have equal rights.

2) Admission of new members into the organisation requires a two-thirds majority of the votes of the full membership of any local Party group.

[Members of any Party organisation are admitted without a ballot in the absence of two reasoned protests from members of the local group.]

Note: Each group may expel its members by a two-thirds majority vote. Expelled persons, as well as those not admitted, have the right of appeal.

3) The F.O. of the Party, as a union of groups, possesses all the rights of the Russian Party committees, with the sole restriction that it renders support to the Russian movement only through the intermediary of persons or groups specially appointed by the C.C.

4) The Congress of the F.O. — the congress of local Party groups — is the highest authority on matters of the internal life of the organisation.

The congress is valid if delegates from half of the local Party groups entitled to vote at it are present. The congress is convened at least once a year.

An extraordinary congress is convened upon the demand of half of the local groups.

5) Delegates to the F.O. congress are elected by each local group. Each group has two votes.

Note: Groups entitled to a decisive vote at the congress must be confirmed by the Committee of the F.O. at least three months before the congress.

6) The Committee of the F.O. is elected annually by the congress of groups [which also determines the number of its members]. In the event of vacancies among its members, the Committee of the F.O. proposes candidates for its composition for a vote by means of a poll of the groups.

7) The Committee of the F.O. unifies the work of the local Party groups and directs it. It confirms and establishes new groups and distributes forces within the F.O.

[The Committee of the F.O. has the right to declare local groups as having withdrawn from the F.O.]

Note: In all general Party questions, the F.O. as a whole has the decisive vote.

8) The C. of the F.O. convenes the congress of local Party groups. If it fails to convene the congress on time, it loses its powers.

Note: The C. of the F.O. does not have a decisive vote at the congress of groups.

9) The C. of the F.O. presents a detailed report on its activity to the congress of groups annually. During the year, it publishes, if possible monthly, a bulletin to acquaint the groups with the state of affairs in the F.O., as well as to guide the activity of the latter.

10) Local Party groups are obliged to have a secretary-correspondent for communication with the C. of the F.O.; they are also obliged to inform the C. of the F.O. of their membership and any changes therein.

11) In the organisation and arrangement of local work, the groups are autonomous.

12) Local Party groups transfer all their monetary funds, after deducting expenses for local needs, to the C. of the F.O.; their expenditures are subject to the control of the C. of the F.O. The latter transfers all sums received into its treasury, after deducting its own expenses, to the C.C. of the Party. The expenditures of the C. of the F.O. are subject to the control of the C.C. From the total sum of the net income of the F.O. as a whole, the C. of the F.O. transfers to the C.C., in accordance with the Party statute, 90%.

13) Appeal, in case of conflict between individual members and parts of the F.O., goes to the immediately higher Party instance.

14) The F.O. elects delegates to the Party congress at its own congresses. In case of impossibility, the election is carried out by means of a poll of the local groups, with candidates put forward by the C. of the F.O. and the groups.

15) The Statute of the F.O. may be amended only at congresses by a simple majority of votes and is confirmed by the C.C. of the Party.

16) Both the local groups and the C. of the F.O. are obliged, in accordance with the Party statute, to submit a fortnightly report to the C.C. of the Party.

C. of the F.O. of the R.S.D.L.P.