Press Release, 16.09.2014

The activists of the Moscow branch of YABLOKO conducted picketing against the use of the administrative resource at Moscow City Duma elections. YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin, Secretary of YABLOKO Political Committee Galina Mikhaleva, YABLOKO candidates for Moscow City Duma deputies also participated in the action which was heal outside Moscow Mayor’s office.

“There’ve been lots of newspapers in the district which told about the pro-government candidates and their circulations were increased many times. The technology of pseudo primaries also played its role which helped to confuse the voters and pull down the voter participation. The opposition candidates didn’t actually have an opportunity for campaigning: our newspapers were systematically pulled out of mail boxes, placards were snatched, advertisement in newspapers and banners were banned”, explained Sergei Mitrokhin.

The apotheosis of the administrative resource use was the annulling of the agreement with YABLOKO on distribution of 200 billboards on behalf of an advertising company due to the direct demand of deputy Moscow mayor Anastasia Rakova.

Both the enforcement to voting and unlawful campaigning methods were used by the authorities. “The pro-government candidates’ campaign offices called the voters on a massive scale on the voting day. Especially cynical is the fact that it was done due the the Mayor’s office direct permission”, noted YABLOKO leader.

The pro-government candidate in the 32nd electoral district won only due to the mass-scale voting of militants and mental hospital patients.

“The Mayor’s office was forced to use the total administrative resource not to let our candidates in the 6th, 11th, 37th and 32nd electoral districts win. In such conditions we gained by an average 12,5%. If the authorities didn’t change the proportional electoral system to majority election system we could have received five or six mandates”, explained Sergei Mitrokhin.

“YABLOKO’s result is the support of the party for peace and the European way of development. The elections have shown that there are a lot more such people than public-opinion polls claim”, claimed YABLOKO leader.