"We unite people who have taken their destiny into their own hands. We are going to promote this image," Belykh said at his first press conference on Monday.
The new leader was accompanied by Boris Nemtsov, former leader of the party. However, he was expected to appear at his first press conference with his deputy, Leonid Gozman.
Belykh said that the party would hit the 50,000 mark (the minimum number of members a federal party needs to register) by the beginning of next year and might even exceed the 60,000 mark due to the increasing number of young members of the party.
He expressed readiness to negotiate with other democratic parties, but excluded the possibility of cooperation with the Communist and National Bolshevik parties.
"We cannot sacrifice our political success. We have different policies," said Belykh.
At the same time the politician said he wanted to meet Grigory Yavlinsky, the leader of the Yabloko political party.
Nikita Belykh, 29, has scientific degrees in engineering and chemistry. When a student of Perm State University, he worked as a journalist on regional television. Later, he established an investment company and ran a large financial and industrial company. At present, Belykh is the deputy governor of the Perm region (the western Urals).
Belykh said he would leave his post to build up a political career and establish contacts with regions.
He did not wear a tie at the press conference. He said he had a day-off.
The new leader said he was going to refresh the image of the party, but wished he would remain the same.
"There will be no visual changes. I shall continue to smoke cigars and wear jeans," he said.
