The Regional Council of the Moscow branch of the Russian
United Democratic Party YABLOKO expresses support to Andrei
Mikhailovich Malitsky in his litigation of the norm of the
Federal Law “On the Basic Guarantees of Franchise and the
Right to Participate in a Referendum”. Being a citizen of
Russia Malitsky received a residence permit in Lithuania
in June 2009. In view of this he was expelled from the Territorial
Electoral Commission of Preobrazhenskoye District, Moscow,
where he represented the interests of the YABLOKO party.
Expelling Malitsky the Commission referred to the norm of
the law which prohibits to the citizens having residence
permits in other countries or other documents confirming
the right of the citizens to a permanent residence in the
foreign state to be members of electoral commissions.
The YABLOKO party considers a number of norms of this law
anti-constitutional, as they deprive citizens of a basic
passive franchise prohibiting them to participate in the
electoral process. This violates the basic democratic principles:
the right of the citizens of the Russian Federation to participate
in the governing, via elections inclusive, to elect and
be elected into the state power and local self-governing
bodies (Constitution of the Russian Federation, Article
32, paragraphs 1 and 2).
A person having Russia’s citizenship should enjoy the civil
rights in the full extent. A residence permit can not serve
as an evidence of his or her voluntary refusal of the rights
on the territory of Russia.
The YABLOKO party supports all the claims and law suits
targeted at restoration of democratic constitutional norms
and demands abrogation of discriminatory legal norms.
Sergei Mitrokhin,
Chairman of the regional branch of YABLOKO, Moscow
