Press Release, 13.03.2020

Yabloko deputies voted against Putin’s amendments to the Constitution during their consideration in the legislative assemblies of the regions.

In Karelia, the Khabarovsk Territory and the Pskov Region, votes against were cast only by Yabloko’s MPs. In the Moscow City Duma, the Yabloko faction was the only faction which did not support the nullification of the presidential terms of Vladimir Putin and his other constitutional amendments.

Boris Vishnevsky in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg and Dmitry Anufriyev in the Duma of the Astrakhan region also voted “resetting” of Vladimir Putin’s presidential terms and the constitutional amendments.

Here is what deputies from Yabloko said from the rostrums of the legislative assemblies:

SERGEI MITROKHIN, THE MOSCOW CITY DUMA

“How did the stagnation, always and without exceptions, end in Russian history? How did the tsarist and the Brezhnev stagnation end? The main reason for the collapse of the country [in 1917 and 1991] was the policy of irremovability [of power], preservation of traditions and everything else, which is now being spoken about with such emotions from the high rostums. Let us think about the fate of our country. In 1917, it significantly shrank in size, and even more in 1991. Now we are falling in the same trap again. And what will remain of our country as a result? There will be nothing left!”

LEV SHLOSBERG, THE PSKOV REGIONAL ASSEMBLY OF DEPUTIES:

“Who of those supporting the perpetuation of Putin’s power wants a breakup pf the country?” I think that no one. Then what is driving you [in the adoption of Putin’s constitutional amendments]? Fear of ceasing to be part of power? Hope for a miraculous deliverance from the trouble? Despair of the impossibility to change something personally? But it is precisely all of us, politicians, chosen by people, that ordinary citizens are looking at. If we are afraid, they are even more afraid. If we are cowardly, then they are afraid. When usurpation of power occurs in a country, we should not agree to it. We must speak up. We must word it. We must disagree. We must protest. We must protect the rights of citizens.”

EMILIA SLABUNOVA, THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF KARELIA

“All that political tragicomedy that we have watching in the past two days with the reset of the presidential term has proved and shown the true intentions. In fact, these are actions targeted at usurpation of power. I would like to remind you that Article 3 of the Constitution runs that seizure of power or appropriation of power is punishable by law. Without change of power, it is impossible to overcome corruption, poverty, and the collapse of the economy. Only political competition can ensure the development of the country and the full use of the huge potential that our Russia has.”

MAXIM KRUGLOV, THE MOSCOW CITY DUMA

“We have to live with an illegitimate and unlawful Constitution. This is a very serious and dangerous mine for the future of the whole country. This means possible provocation of serious civil conflicts in the future, because it is impossible to live with an illegitimate Constitution. The whole country is becoming hostage to this adventure, an illegal operation to preserve the life-long power of President Putin. ”

BORIS VISHNEVSKY, THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ST. PETERSBURG

“Instead of a democratic social state, as envisaged by the Constitution, a closed nomenclature-bureaucratic corporate state is imposed on us with the ideology of demagogic patriotism, controlled by fear and corruption. It has no fair elections, no independent court, no rule of law, no justice. Therefore, it inevitably violates the rights of citizens. In this system, all the branches of power are subordinate to the uncontrolled supreme ruler, who now – and this is the most important thing in the law, and everything else from was behind a smokescreen the very beginning – will be almost irremovable.”