Decision by Yabloko Federal Political Committee, 25.10.2018

Yabloko is the party of the European values. Yabloko has abided by democratic principles and employed lawful methods to gain power and political influence since the time the party was founded 25 years ago.

We are the party of public affairs, we participate in elections and use parliamentary mechanisms.

Weakness, underdevelopment and a lack of institutes of public affairs and democracy in general in the post-Soviet Russia became a serious obstacle which Yabloko dealt with all these years.

At the same time, the efforts of the state as well as material, administrative and information resources of the state have never been aimed at strengthening these institutes. On the contrary, a conscious and regular policy of suppressing these institutes have been carried out since the beginning of the 2000s.

Today there is no environment for a political party that stands for parliamentary democracy.

The situation we have found ourselves in has some global political trends (fake news, postruth, populism, etc.) that lead to a crisis of traditional parties around the world.

Yabloko should, of course, seek solution to these challenges.

However, the specific features of the situation in Russia are a conscious destruction of public affairs by the authoritarian regime accompanied by nationalistic, militaristic, imperial propaganda and mass election fraud. The information that has become available during the scandal over the elections in Primorski Krai (first there was mass fraud, then the election result was annulled) once again proves that fraud begins with ballot box stuffing and goes all the way to entering “appropriate” date into the “GAS” state’s automated vote-counting system.

What is more, the problem has to do with the situation in Russia in general, with the situation our society finds itself in. Political apathy and a gap between the government and society that we have been talking of for years now are not the only problem.

Persistent poverty, endless lies, lack of freedom and creativity, growing lawlessness and violence, the split of the public opinion over the cold war with the “fifth column”, a hybrid warfare with Ukraine, a real bloody war in Donbass, endless war in Syria, the expansion of illegal quasi-public armed units – all these things lead to a shift in public opinion, to its deformation and degradation.

The most dangerous thing is the sensation that there is no alternative. This leads to the degradation of society, and the government is using this to catalyse the process. The system will look for enemies and cultivate the sensation of war. There will be a rise in populism. Furthermore, when the resources are limited it will not be “the populism of the carrot” (raising pensions and introducing benefits) but aggressive populism – fostering the feeling of hatred towards internal and external enemies.

Dmitry Sakharov’s warning is becoming more topical: “Nothing threatens individual liberty and the life purpose more than war, poverty and terror”.

The aim of Yabloko in these circumstances is to protect and preserve the life purpose.

We need to answer the question about Russia’s future development, create a positive image of the future.

We can give this answer if we rely on the values contrary to those proclaimed by the government.

Yabloko is the party of life values and development. Our great goal and the programme of the modernisation of the country are turning values into institutions. The aim is not to hold on in the changing world occupying a small niche. The aim is to fo ahead, to transform the realty and creating the future. Only values can be the foundation of a real strategy of development.

It is not enough to write about liberty, justice and honesty on the party flag. The aim is to work very hard to create effective state and public institutes on the basis of our values. If we do not carry on with this work, the empty space will be occupied by the institutes that form a mafia state.

We can and we must use our status as a registered legal political party that can take part in elections. However, we should focus on creating a good foundation for future success rather than seek success here and now.

Our strength and the vector of our success is using values to attract supporters, not manipulation.

Yabloko is the party which implements and defines what our politics lacks but what the country needs in these circumstances. The first step towards a strategic political vision is the creation and promotion of what the current policy lacks.

Our party was founded on the idea of alternative reforms in the interests of the majority.

Russia’s modern policy lacks moral foundations and principles. Conscience is no longer part of modern politicians’ life: it is allowed to kill, steal, rob, abuse power, lie and manipulate.

However, it is not possible to have an efficient economy, policy or life without the moral foundation only thinking of material or some other profit. This is why Yabloko will be in demand now as the party of moral subjectivity – as an alternative to cynicism and lack of conscienceless that form the foundation of today’s policy. It is the objective image of the party which was formed historically. We stand up for peace, liberty, human dignity and wellbeing.

The Federal Political Committee considers it necessity to put forward the following goals for discussion:

We are creating the party of moral subjectivity, the community of like-minded people, that have the potential of becoming a subject of moral imperative. We must prove and show that Yabloko stands up for issues that can be considered moral.

The party must articulate a position like this concerning all the key issues in the country.

This is the foundation that will help us unite people how are in need of such a platform. Our target audience is the majority of people in the country. These are the people of all ages and social backgrounds who need moral guides – this has been proved over the course of the presidential election campaign. These people are capable of persecuting moral values in economics and politics, these are people who put conscience first.

We can and we must give these people to unite on the basis of our party. We can also broaden the sphere of our influence by showing an example that it is possible to live in Russia in a different way.

After all, aiming at personal improvement and the improvement of the country on the foundation of values corresponds with the inner matrix of our culture.

This is exactly what the party should discuss with people. We must to underestimate the majority and suppose that people are focused on their daily issues like the contents of their fridges and comfortable environment. Only values help forming political consciousness and bring people to engagement in politics not topical issues that provoke a reaction when they become unbearable.

Another very important task is to bring up new politicians of a new breed. We need many new leaders – we need to find them and help them. We are not taking about those young people who aim at having a career and achieve success by the standards of today’s environment but those who put their moral imperative first which does not agree with and contradict today’s standards.

This is, of course, not only the issues of a political enlightenment or a special education – life and work form a real politician. However, in the circumstances when all policies and the major part of public affair act in accordance with the rules that we want to change, meaningful focused effort becomes the key factor to solve the issue.

As for success, if our estimations are correct, it will be real, not passing, in the historical prospective because its vector corresponds with the line of global development. This line is opposed to destructive national and populist trends, it aims at the future which holds nothing to be afraid of.

Our other aim is a comprehensive consideration of the situation in Russian and around the world inclining the prospects of a new global economic crisis which will definitely affect Russia. Preserving the ability to think globally and consider Russia’s problems and goals in the context of global development is an essential part of the set of values that will become the foundation of Russia’s new policy.

The following concept of the party’s work in the present circumstances does not interfere with the daily activity of our organisation aimed at protection of people’s interests and reacting to the topical issues. We will also use all opportunities granted to us by the present legislation, to reach voters during election campaigns, and try to elect our representatives to representative bodies of all levels – municipal and regional in the first place.

At the same time, it is important to realise that this work is essential only in the context of creating the party of liberty, justice and human rights.

Creating institutes that promote the moral imperative of respect for an individual is the future of our country.

Grigory Yavlinsky

Chair of Yabloko Federal Political Committee