Yabloko leaders on early parliamentary elections and new presidential election rules

Press Release, 10.03.2020

Photo: Nikolai Rybakov at the picket near the State Duma on March 10, 2020

Yabloko leaders held pickets outside the parliament building during today’s consideration by the State Duma of Putin’s constitutional amendments in the second reading. They protested both against the President’s proposals and against the unlawful procedure for their approval. Meanwhile, the deputies have already proposed holding early State Duma elections and resetting the presidential term for Vladimir Putin.

Nikolai Rybakov, Yabloko party Chairman:

The resetting of Putin’s presidential term under the pretext of amending the Constitution is nothing more than fraud. A dishonorable fraud, a mockery of citizens and all of Russian statehood, the very existence of which is now generally a big question. However, it is a quite expected fraud. We have known this President and the style of the existing system for many years.

Early elections to the State Duma also represent a predictable trick. Polling numbers of the government have been declining, hence they are in a rush.

However, I propose to interpret what is happening as a chance for civil society. A chance to say all we think about raising the retirement age and taxes, the reform on waste disposal, and the shameful show with changing the Constitution, and, finally, about constant lies and the lack of will to abandon the idea of eternal power in a civilized manner.

Ivan Bolshakov, Deputy Chairman of the Yabloko party:

The constitutional change takes place in the best traditions of Latin American dictatorships, according to an extremely questionable procedure, but with extremely clear content. The Kremlin is capable of nothing but securing Putin’s lifelong power. I do not rule out that the whole affair with amending the Consitution was conceived so that to only reset the presidential term. Everything else represent a screen for covering the unconstitutional and illegitimate process of maintaining power.

Photo: Ivan Bolshakov at the picket near the State Duma on March 10, 2020

Lev Shlosberg, member of the Yabloko Federal Political Committee:

Certainly, this is the moment of truth for Putin. On January 21, he introduced a draft law to the State Duma on an amendment running that no one can be President of Russia for more than two terms, without mentioning of any “consecutive terms”. Now the minions offer him to make a shameful sharp 180-degree turn almost at the last minute. If he agrees, then the whole affair with constitutional amendments finally becomes a stupid and shameful farce, in which clowns act as oracles of the President.

Photo: A participant of the picket near the State Duma on March 10, 2020

The amendment about the possibility of early elections to the State Duma obviously represents a part of the plan to maintain power, and Putin began public implementation of it on January 15. A hasty, virtually immediate revision of the powers of the highest bodies of power makes sense only with an accelerated transition to the exercise of these powers in a new format, which is possible only through early elections of all authorities. We do not know now, what is the real reason for such a rush. Something unknown to us makes Putin not just hurry, but dash forward. And this “something” brings nothing good for the country. Good deeds are not done hastily and secretly.

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Tomorrow, on March 11, the Yabloko party will hold a series of one-person pickets (that do not require a permission from the authorities) by the State Duma (Okhotny Ryad 1) and the Federation Council (Bolshaya Dmitrovka 26) against the reset of Putin’s presidential terms and other constitutional amendments introduced by the President. The pickets will start at 9 a.m.

On Thursady, March 12, when regional parliaments will be approving the amendments, Yabloko will pickets regional parliaments in most Russian regions.

In Moscow, the action will be held by the Moscow City Duma at two addresses: Strastnoy Boulevard 15/29 and Uspensky Lane, 14 bldg. 1. Picketing will start at 11:00 a.m.