Member of the Legislative Assembly of Sverdlovsk Oblast Alexander Burkov was elected its chairman at the founding congress, which was held in Yekaterinburg on 17 April 1999.
The incumbent governor Eduard Rossel, his long-time opponent Arkady Chernetsky and Alexander Burkov fought for the chair of the head of the region.
The movement was largely populist and in a situation of ongoing economic crisis, it gained points, becoming the epicenter of protest sentiment.
"May" also organized a tent encampment under the building of the Sverdlovsk Oblast government, made by schoolteachers from a number of municipalities.
[2] Governor Rossel refused to sign a protocol promising payments and preferred to go to work through the service entrance for a month and a half.