Opposition Sidelined Ahead of Test of Medvedev's Election Pledges

The Moscow Times, March 12, 2010

By Alexander Bratersky

Despite Medvedev’s appeal for smaller parties to participate, running in local elections has become even harder, said Vladislav Morozov, head of the Yabloko opposition party's branch in the Kaluga region, located 160 kilometers southwest of Moscow.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court banned the party from running for seats in the regional legislature, citing problems with signatures the party collected to be registered for the vote. Yabloko leader Sergei Mitrokhin said the violations were minor, Noviye Izvestia reported Wednesday.

Morozov is currently one of three Yabloko deputies in the regional legislature, which like most in Russia is dominated by United Russia.

Morozov complained that Kaluga Governor Anatoly Artamonov, a member of United Russia is actively campaigning for United Russia candidates and almost daily appears on local television to endorse party candidates.

“That reminds me of the times of Brezhnev,” he said, referring to Soviet elections when the Communists had a one-party monopoly.

For the visa-free travel between Russia and the EU as a way to promote mutual trust and cooperation

Speech by Sergei Mitrokhin at ELDR Council meeting, Rome, March 12, 2010

In my view, elimination of visa barriers between Russia and Europe should be examined and solved by politicians rather than bureaucrats. All we need is political will towards such strategic decision-making. Long-term advantages here both for Russia and Europe considerably overweight bureaucratic problems. And it will also allow us to solve such issues as, for example, work permits and registration for foreign citizens working in Russia, which should be part of the general agreement on elimination of visa barriers.

For the Russian citizens the freedom of movement within Europe is not reduced only to facilitation of their business, study or tourist trips (though this is also very important). This means their normal life within a single European civilization on the basis of mutually shared principles and values. This issue has become especially acute when visa barriers separated us from our close Eastern European neighbours. However, close interaction with them has always been very important when we speak about European trends in Russia.

Urgency Resolution submitted by the YABLOKO party to the ELDR Council. Rome, March 12, 2010.

The ELDR Council convening in Rome on March 12-13, 2010,

Expresses concern in view of:
- ongoing discrimination of its member-party YABLOKO at Russian elections, especially in the Sverdlovsk and Kaluga regions;
- discrepancy between President Medvedev’s statements on liberalization of elections and persecutions against YABLOKO

States that:
- ELDR will submit the issue to the CE and Europarliament

Calls on the Russian authorities to:
- take urgent remedial measures in ensuring free and fair elections and maximum public control over voting;
- observe Russia’s obligations on ensuring democratic standards under its membership in the OSCE and the CE.

Progovernmental United Russia is buying off votes in Tula

Statement by the party Chairman. March 12, 2010

The Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO is expressing its indignation with the situation when the United Russia party has been openly and blatantly violating the law at the Tula City Duma elections. Mass-scale and virtually open bribing of voters has been taking place in the city. A vote in favour of the United Russia party costs from 400 to 500 roubles at pre-term voting. About 10 per cent of the electorate have already voted at eight polling stations (No 419, 423, 424, 428 – 432).

The Altair cable television channel has been broadcasting a reel where those voting for the United Russia party are guaranteed free subscription to the channel.

Bribing of voters has been at polling station No 52 was video recorded and confirmed by the witnesses at the police station.

Such actions by the United Russia party on the threashold of the election day make us doubt the results of the overall voting in the city.

The Supreme Court did not let YABLOKO to participate in the election campaign in the Sverdlovsk Region

Press Release. March 12, 2010

The Supreme Court did not let YABLOKO to participate in the election campaign to the regional parliament in the Sverdlovsk Region. YABLOKO’s complaint on the decision of the Sverdlovsk Region Court (which ruled out the refusal of the regional election commission to register YABLOKO is the race was lawful) was not satisfied.

Thus, YABLOKO was not allowed to participate in the regional elections. On March 9 the Supreme Court also adopted the same decision on the complaint of the Kaluga branch of YABLOKO.

ELDR Newsletter. March 4, 2010

Election troubles in Italy and Russia
If on one hand Yabloko, Russia, is still struggling against the Russian authorities because of its last non-registration in the regional election race in two key regions (please click here for more details), on the other Radicali Italiani, scored a good goal on the path of the rule of Law and protection of civil rights.
The Italian party, after a careful investigation, reported the numerous irregularities over the list of the centre- right candidates in Rome and Milan- two crucial strongholds of Berlusconi’s party - and seeing them finally erased from the competition.

READ MORE

ELDR Council meeting in Rome
Election troubles in Italy and Russia
Liberals discuss Eastern Partnership programme
ELDR launches Facebook Fan Page
ELDR deplores death of Zapata
ELDR NEWS is OUT!
Outward look for D66

An Objective View of the START-1 treaty

By Alexei Arbatov. March 11, 2010

START-1 does not affect the viability of Russia's ground-mobile missiles. Authoritative representatives of the RVSN (the former and new commanders, the former and new chiefs of the MoD 4th Central Research Institute, and others), and there are no grounds for trusting them less than to Colonel Belov, Generals Ivashov and Chervov, or Marshal Yazov, who are not even missilemen. The peacetime deployment area (125,000 square km) defined for each regiment is more than sufficient, and the missiles' concealment relies not on the acreage of the area but on the ramified structure of the roads and the strength of the bridges. In the pre-war period the operational deployment of missiles was in no way limited in terms of acreage. The key thing for the viability of our mobile launchers is camouflage in the field positions, where the Americans have never monitored anything and about which they know nothing. START-1 had nothing to do with this.

Officials offer apology to YABLOKO’s ecologist

Press Release. March 10, 2010

Officials from Administration of the Lomonosovsky District of the Leningrad region offered their apology to Alexander Senotrusov, deputy head of YABLOKO’s Green faction, for their intention to dismiss him from school where he had been working as a teacher and their suspension of functioning of a children’s club where he also worked. Persecutions against YABLOKO’s activist began after his interview to the NTV television channel.

On March 7, NTV released a piece devoted to the practices of unlawful construction of cottages in the natural reserves. Alexander Senotrusov told the journalists about unlawful construction at the Lebyazhiye village situated on Gulf of Finland shore.

After this the district administration began persecutions against the teacher. Local bureaucrats were going to dismiss Alexander Senotrusov as redundant and also cut off electricity in the children’s club where he worked.

YABLOKO’s leader to meet with electorate in Tula

Press Release. March 11, 2010

Today, on March 11, YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin will meet with electorate in Tula.

Elections to the Tula City Duma will take place on Sunday, March 14. YABLOKO’s list is topped by the present deputy of the city parliament Sergei Filatov. At this election 57 members of YABLOKO will compete for 48 mandates.

The key topics for Sergei Mitrokhin’s meeting with the voters will be transparency of the tariffs and fight with corruption in the housing and utilities sector, as restoration of lawfulness in the sector has become the key slogan of YABLOKO’s campaign in Tula.

European liberals to discuss a visa-free regime between Russia and the EU

Press Release. March 11, 2010

YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin is going to get support to YABLOKO’s initiative on introduction of a visa-free regime between Russia and the EU from European liberals during the annual meeting of ELDR Council which will take place in Rome on March 12-13.

On the threashold of the meeting Russian Vedomosti newspaper published an article by Finnish Foreign Minister Mr.Alexander Stubb where he stated the adherence of Finland to the agreement between the RF and the EU on facilitation of the visa regime which came into force in summer 2007, as well as called the Russian authorities “to concretize and accelerate” the work in this direction. “Finland would welcome a visa-free regime between the EU and Russia and will spare no effort for hitting this goal,” Mr. Stubb stated. “I hope that Russian leaders will have enough insistence and political will so that to facilitate the necessary reforms,” he wrote.

Sergei Mitrokhin discussed the problem of introduction of the visa-free regime at the meeting with Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to the Russian Federation Matti Anttonen on February 17.

Mass-scale buying of votes in favour of the United Russia and the Just Russia party observed at pre-term elections in Tula

Press Release. March 10, 2010

The Tula branch of YABLOKO recorded a mass-scale buying of votes in favour of the United Russia and the Just Russia party observed at pre-term elections to the Tula parliament. A vote cast for United Russia cost 500 roubles and a vote for the Just Russia party cost 100 roubles.

Today, on March 10 at about 11 a.m., YABLOKO’s election headquarters received a telephone call about a bribe of electorate at polling stations No 369 and 370 located in school No 52. Several cars were parked in the yard of one of the houses near the school. Unknown persons from the cars first put down the data of the voters and after their voting gave money to them.

Sergei Filatov, one of the leaders of YABLOKO’s election list and deputy of the Tula parliament, arrived to the polling station and discovered queues by the school building. He recorded all he saw (see the recording), interviewed the voter and also called the police.

YABLOKO to dispute the legitimacy of collection of signatures in the Constitutional Court of the RF

Press Release. March 9, 2010

The Supreme Court of the RF refused to annul the decision of the regional electoral commission not to register YABLOKO at elections to the parliament of the Kaluga region. YABLOKO is going to appeal to the Constitutional Court of the RF with a claim to abrogate the norms requiring a number of parties to collect signatures so that to get registration at election campaigns.

YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin participated in the hearings in the Supreme Court and said that the “decision of the Supreme Court was arbitrary”. The Supreme Court did not consider YABLOKO’s arguments, Mitrokhin added.

Portraits of Stalin and the Anniversary Victory Day

Statement by the International and Moscow Memorial Societies. Press Release. March 3, 2010

Officials from the Moscow Mayor’s Office have stated that portraits of Stalin are to be put up in the city for the 65th Anniversary of Victory Day. As is usual, it is not known by whom and at what level this decision was taken, but it is clear that the portraits will be produced at the expense of the taxpayers, who include those who lost their relatives through the fault of the dictator. But it is not a question of money, and nor is it that some of those invited to the celebrations will probably not wish to come to a city, decorated in such a dubious manner. The appearance of portraits of Stalin on Victory Day is an insult to the memory of the fallen...

If portraits of Stalin do indeed appear on the streets of Moscow, we shall do all within our power to ensure that, simultaneously, they will be accompanied by other placards, stands, and posters which tell of the tyrant’s crimes and of his true place in the history of the Great War for the Fatherland. We are convinced that hundreds of Muscovites – the children and grandchildren of the front-line soldiers, of those to whom Victory really belongs – will help us in this.

Liberal International. Newsletter. Issue 173

Liberals victorious in Dutch elections
The Dutch city council elections on Wednesday saw important liberal victories for LI Full Members VVD and D66. The Dutch liberal parties were seen as the victors of the elections, with the VVD being the second biggest party gaining 14.9% of the electoral vote (13.8% in 2006) and D66 increasing its share to 8.1% (2.8% in 2006). D66 also saw a near five-fold increase of their number of council seats from 141 to 525, while VVD increased its number from 1166 to 1385. The populist Freedom Party of Geert Wilders only ran in two cities, and got big popular support. The Freedom Party became the biggest party in the city of Almere, and was voted the second biggest party in The Hague. Liberal International President and VVD leader in the European Parliament Hans van Baalen was satisfied with the good liberal results: “VVD is back, and will play a vital role in the councils and nationally after the upcoming general elections on June 9th. I commend D66 with their excellent result, which creates a strong liberal position in the Netherlands. I recognize that Wilders had success in Almere and The Hague. There should not be a cordon sanitaire. The best way to fight populists is to force them to take responsibility in office. We can defeat them if we are prepared to fight them instead of trying to ignore or stigmatize them”.

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Public organisations and political parties of Kaliningrad join in a coalition

Press Release. March 4, 2010

On March 3 during the second meeting of the Coordination Council leaders of political parties and public organisations and movements functioning in the Kaliningrad region signed a joint document on creation of a coalition targeted at stopping the monopoly of the progovernmental United Russia party in the Kaliningrad region.

A press-conference of the new coalition will take place in the Regional Duma on March 5 at 1 p.m. The participants will present the text of the agreement opened for all the parties and organisations sharing this platform and will also answer the journalists’ questions.

Grigory Yavlinsky visited the Astrakhan Region

Press Release. March 4, 2010

On March 3 member of YABLOKO’s Political Committee made a visit to the Astrakhan Region within the framework of election campaign to the Astrakhan City Duma.

Grigory Yavlinsky had a meeting with Governor Alexander Zhilkin. The Governor spoke in detail about implementation of the long-term strategy of socio-economic development of the region. “The executive authority of the region has been working in close contact with the Public Chamber of the region, trade unions, deputies and representatives of political parties,” Zhilkin noted. The Governor also showed his interest in further cooperation with YABLOKO.

The Governor also highly assessed the work of the representatives of YABLOKO in the Administration of the region.

Conference “Women’s Movement in Russia: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” took place in YABLOKO’s Moscow office

Press Release. March 1, 2010

Conference “Women’s Movement in Russia: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” took place in YABLOKO’s Moscow office on February 26. 75 heads of leading women’s organisations and experts from Moscow, St.Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Ekaterinburg and Perm participated in the conference. The conference was broadcasted life via YABLOKO’s web-site.

Galina Mikhalyova, moderator of the conference, Chair of the Gender faction of the YABLOKO party and Co-Chair of the Council for Consolidation of Women’s Movement in Russia stressed the difficulties in the development of women’s movement in the situation of increasing discrimination of women in Russia in all spheres of life and the need to consolidate efforts of public organisations, expert community, journalists and political forces for realization of the gender equality principles. YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin noted that YABLOKO is the only Russian party fighting for gender equality and proclaiming equality of rights and opportunities for men and women.

Sergei Kovalyov has turned 80!

Congratulations from Sergei Mitrokhin. March 2, 2010

Dear Sergei Adamovich,

On behalf of all YABLOKO members I am sending you our heartiest congratulations on your birthday.

Your life deserves not only admiration, but careful study. The hard moral choice you’ve always been making confirms one thing: following the way of truth and one’s own convictions can lead to any consequences – either to establishment or break of human relations, – however, in the end it always proves that such a choice must be made against all the odds. You have never recoiled from your truth. We are proud that we are working together with you and that we can adopt from you the best qualities of Russian human rights defenders.

We are wishing you health, strength and patience!

Sincerely,
Sergei Mitrokhin,
Chair of the YABLOKO party

Action “Churov, it’s time for you to have a shave!” led to arrest of YABLOKO’s activists

Press Release. March 3, 2010

Today, on March 3, YABLOKO conducted a protest action against withdrawal of YABLOKO’s lists of candidates from election race in the Kaluga and Sverdlovsk regions by the Central Electoral Commission office. A large balloon filled with helium took large scissors up to the window of the cabinet of Vladimir Churov, head of the Central Electoral Commission.

“Do I have to swear by my beard that I shall do all I can so that elections [in Russia] be honest? I swear!” said Vladimir Churov, Chair of the Central Electoral Commission during broadcasting at the REN TV channel on March 15, 2007. Activists of the Youth YABLOKO’s reminded Vladimir Churov of his oath. They also held a slogan by the Central Electoral Commission office “Stop withdrawing us from elections!” and demanded that Vladimir Churov should come down from the office to them and answer the questions. “We have not witnessed such a situation before when our party could be withdrawn from elections in two regions simultaneously,” YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin who also participated in the action told to the journalists. “We have been patient for a long time as we remembered Churov’s promise to guarantee honest elections, however, now our patience is gone,” he added.

Sverdlovsk Region branch of YABLOKO appeals to the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation

Press Release. March 2, 2010

The Sverdlovsk Region branch of YABLOKO filed an appeal in the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation with a demand to abrogate the decision of the Electoral Commission of the Sverdlovsk Region which did not allow YABLOKO to run in the election campaign to the Legislative Assembly of the Sverdlovsk Region.

YABLOKO had already filed a complaint to the Sverdlovsk Region Court with a plea to annul the decision of the electoral commission denying YABLOKO a registration in the race. The working group of the electoral commission had announced that 56% of the signatures collected in favour of YABLOKO and required for registration in the elections be void. The regional court had not left the decision of the electoral commission without change.

Liberals Give Police Tips on Reforming

The Moscow Times, February 26, 2010

By Alexander Bratersky

President Dmitry Medvedev's police reforms will turn into a sham if the public is excluded from the process and other law enforcement agencies are left untouched, opposition politicians and human rights activists said Thursday.

“It is impossible to reform the Interior Ministry without reforming the prosecutor's office and the justice system,” Yabloko party leader Sergei Mitrokhin said at a round table organized by the Moscow police to discuss the reforms with the public...

Picketing in Ufa: “Decent Pensions to the Military Pensioners!”

Press Release. March 1, 2010

Picketing for the right of the military pensioners to decent pensions took place in the centre of Ufa (Bashkiria) on February 27.

The picket was organised by the Bashkirian regional branch of the YABLOKO party. The picket was conducted under the slogan “Decent Pensions to the Military Pensioners!”

In spite of the fact that 30 activists had to participate in the action, the actual number of participants grew to 50. Citizens dissatisfied with the actions of Bashkirian government, administration of Ufa and the law enforcement also joined the picket...

Picket against discrimination of military pensioners in Blagoveschensk

Press Release. February 26, 2010

Picket against discrimination of military pensioners took place in Blagoveschensk (the Amur Region) on February 23 (Defender of the Fatherland Day).

The action was organised by the Amur Region branch of YABLOKO. The city government gave a permission to conduct the action in the center of the city...

Despite preliminary announcements of the action none of the local journalists risked to go against Governor’s order and report on the action in the media...

Non-registration of YABLOKO in the regional elections: a hypocrisy or a weakness of the presidential power?

Statement by the Bureau of the YABLOKO party. February 27, 2010

Right after President Medvedev’s statement made at the State Council meeting on the need to
facilitate political competition and democratization of the political system YABLOKO was cynically and unlawfully withdrawn from elections to the legislative assemblies of the Kaluga and Sverdlovsk regions, the regions where YABLOKO enjoyed considerable support from the electorate.

The signatures collected in support of YABLOKO’s election lists were announced “invalid” on
factitious unlawful grounds. The Chair of the electoral commission of the Sverdlovsk region publicly announced that signatures in support of YABLOKO would be recognised invalid already when YABLOKO had only been collecting these signatures. The electoral commission of the Kaluga region made all it could so that not to allow the leaders of the regional YABLOKO branch to participate in the audit of the signatures.

YABLOKO’s lodging complaints of such refusals in courts did not lead anywhere – the courts, as well as electoral commissions, refused to examine the evidence submitted by YABLOKO’s activists...