statutes of the coordinating committee for the refoundation of the fourht international
1.
The Coordinating Committee for the Re-Foundation of the Fourth International (CRFI)
does not constitute a special tendency towards particular ends. The aim is to
struggle for the re-foundation of the Fourth International using class struggle
methods, propaganda and common and centralized action and through support for
every authentic workers movement proposing to build a Workers International on
the basis of the class struggle.
2.
The principles according to which the CRFI is constituted are those approved by
the organizations originating it in Genova in March, 1997.
a.
The current validity of the struggle for socialist revolution and for the
dictatorship of the proletariat;
b.
The need to struggle against any bloc with the democratic bourgeoisie, against
all forms of "Popular Front" class collaboration, which inevitably
lead to the proletariat and of its party being reduced to the level of
appendages of capital;
c.
The need for social and/or political revolution in the former Soviet Union, East
Europe, China, Indochina, North Korea and Cuba;
d.
The need for the elaboration of a strategy for overthrowing capitalism based on
the method of transitional demands;
e.
The International Secretariat, which presents itself as the continuation of the
Fourth International is not the Fourth International, nor is it capable of being
so through its reform. The re-foundation of the Fourth International requires
the political defeat of the USec..
3.
The CRFI adopts for its functioning the method of democratic centralism in
accordance with the present level of consciousness, organization and struggle
for the re-foundation of the Fourth International, that is, the current state of
political homeneity within the revolutionary vanguard.
4.
The basic organisms of the CRFI are the national sections comprising it, the
International Congress (IC), the International Secretariat (IS) and the
Executive Council (EC).
5.
The CRFI is constituted by national sections. Considered as such are
organizations which actively intervene in the class struggle on the basis of the
constituent principles of the CRFI, maintain a periodic press and internal
bulletin, send to the leadership bodies of the CRCI regular reports about his
activities and who regularly pay their dues to the CRFI.
Provisional
clause: The organizations belonging to the CRFI who, at the present
International Congress, do not comply with the minimum requisites established in
Article 5 to be considered a national section, have a maximum period of six (6)
months to fulfill them. In case, after this period has lapsed, they continue to
fail to comply with requisites established in Article 5 of the present Statutes,
they will be considered sympathizer organizations.
6.
There may not be more than one section as full member of the CRFI in any
country. From time to time organizations may be recognized as sympathizers which,
in those countries where sections exist, manifest their adhesion to the
constituent principles of the CRCI, under the binding obligation of ensuring
that within a period of less than two years, a unifying Congress will be called,
to be organized jointly by said organizations and the IC, which will participate
in said Congress.
7.
The International Congress is the maximum instance of the CRFI; its resolutions
prevail over those of any other organization. It has the responsibility of
establishing political orientation, of appointing the members of the
International Secretariat and Executive Council, and of sanctioning and
reviewing the present Statutes. In the Congress all national sections are
represented through delegates elected according to a proportion of one delegate
per fifty (50) militants or fraction thereof greater than twenty (20). No
national section may have a number of delegates superior to 40 per cent of the
total number of delegates to the Congress. The organizations recognized as
sympathizers by the CRFI participate in the Congress with delegates with voice (without
vote).
8.
The International Congress will session at a time and place to be determined by
the International Secretariat, who is responsible for calling it. The Congresses
will be called at least six months before the date of their being held, which
may not exceed more than two years since the prior Congress. Extraordinary
Congresses may be convened by initiative of the International Secretariat or
before the demand of at least a third of the member national sections, or before
the demand of a percentage of militants of 15 percent of the CRFI representing
at least one third of three national sections.
9.
The International Secretariat is the centralized expression of the CRFI. It is
chosen by the International Congress, before which it must be held fully
accountable. It is composed of three members and meets at least six times per
year. No national section may have, in and of themselves, a majority in the IC.
10.
In the interval between Congresses, the International Secretariat is the highest
instance of the CRFI; it puts into practice the decisions of the Congress and
disposes, in the framework of its decisions, of all its powers. It interprets
and puts into practice the orientation approved by the Congress and directs the
organizing work of the CRFI. The members of the International Secretariat
participate as delegates with voice (without vote) should they not have the
character of full delegates. The International Secretariat has the faculty to
create bodies under its control, to which it may partially delegate some of its
functions. In particular, the International Secretariat will designate a
Organization Bureau of three members, with the responsibility of maintaining the
organizational continuity of the work between two meetings of the International
Secretariat. At least one member of the International Secretariat must form part
of the Organization Bureau, whose members should reside in the same country (or,
alternatively, in nearby countries, so that they may meet regularly and
systematically.
11.
The International Congress will designate an Executive Council of 9 members,
which will meet at least once a year. The members of the International
Secretariat form part of the Council, with voice and vote.
12.
The International Secretariat has the obligation of publishing an international
journal of the CRFI and its international Internal Bulletin. The bodies
established in these Statutes, the sections and sympathizing organizations of
the CRFI may express themselves in the International Internal Bulletin. The IIB
will contain the resolutions of the International Congresses, the minutes of the
meetings of the IC and the resolutions of the sections and collective or
individual contributions who participate on the level of discussion. All
sections have the obligation of distributing the IIB among their members.
13.
Discussion is free for all national sections and their members. Internal
discussion is carried out through the International Internal Bulletin. In it,
besides the IC and the leadership of the national sections, all militants of the
national sections may express themselves in it, individually or collectively,
with the prior notification of their respective national organizations.
14.
The right to form tendencies is recognized. Tendencies must be constituted on
the basis of a political document presented before the International Secretariat.
The International Secretariat has no faculty to recognize the formation of
tendencies; that faculty, by virtue of the present level of development of the
struggle for the Refoundation of the Fourth International corresponds to the
directions of the various sections.
Provisional
clause: Given the need to promote a common experience of work and struggle
favoring the development of collective political homogeneity, the right to form
tendencies recognized in Article 14 will be in effect starting with the next
International Congress.
15.
In function of the development and the tasks faced by the CRFI, in case of
divergence between the International Secretariat and a national section, the
position of the national section prevails until the convening of an
extraordinary conference of that section, which the International Secretariat
will attend with the right to present its positions. Only the International
Congress may modify the orientation of the national sections.
16.
All new full membership or exclusion from the CRFI is the exclusive attribute of
the International Congress. The organization requesting recognition as a
national section must present a written document declaring adhesion to the
programmatic principles, the program and the Statutes of the CRFI and comply
with the minimum requisites established in point 5 of the present Statutes. The
International Secretariat must verify compliance with these conditions and
present a written report to the International Congress. The same criteria holds
for the admission of organizations which approach any of the national sections
and for the fusion of different sympathizing organizations of the CRFI in a
single country.
17
The International Secretariat shall discuss and authorize the use of entryism
into third organizations by the national sections or sypathizer organizations.
Provisional
clause: The national sections and sympathizer organizations who, at the time of
the holding of this Congress, are carrying out an activity of entryism into a
third organization, will have to subordinate the continuity of this work to the
discussion and resolution of the International Secretariat.
18. The periodic payment of dues for the financial support of the CRFI is obligatory for all sections and sympathizing members. The modality and amount of the dues will be determined by the International Congress. The administration of the funds is the responsibility of the International Secretariat, which is held accountable to the Congress.
Submitted
by: Statutes Commission
PASSED
BY MAJORITY
Votes
in favor: Majority
Votes
against: none
Abstentions:
1 vote
On
a Secretariat of three members and Executive Council of nine members
Votes
in favor: Majority
Votes
against: none
Abstentions:
1 vote
On
the incorporation of two substitutes to the Executive Council
Unanimity
On
the possibility that Secretariat can select a member of the Executive Council in
case of absence of one of its members
Unanimity
On
the incorporation as minimum duties in order to consider a organization as
national section the sending on information on his activities on a regular basis
Unanimity