The conference of the Moscow YABLOKO which took place yesterday,
on May 23, confirmed its opposition to the Moscow Mayor Yury
Luzhkov and his government and called the country to return
to the direct election of the Moscow Mayor (the Moscow Mayor
enjoys the Governor status).
“In the federal authorities are not ready to return to the
election of all governors, it can at least make an exception
for the cities of federal importance – Moscow and St.Petersburg
– where the city dwellers unlike residents of other cities
are deprived of the right to elect the city heads,” runs the
statement of the Moscow YABLOKO.
Draft statement “On the political crisis in Moscow and the
ways out of it” was submitted by YABLOKO’s leader and chair
of its Moscow branch Sergei Mitrokhin.
The Moscow YABLOKO stands “for the democratic change of the
city leaders via honest elections”. The statement by the Moscow
branch of YABLOKO also indicates that “return to the democratic
procedure of the elections of the Moscow Mayor is the only
way out of the political crisis in Moscow”.
“[The present Moscow Mayor] Yury Luzhkov should be replaced
by a Mayor elected by the Muscovites, rather than by Kremlin’s
appointee,” runs the statement.
Confirming that the Moscow YABLOKO “is in opposition to the
Moscow Mayor and the Moscow government” the conference proposes
“an alternative way of governing the city which was offered
in the programme by the [Moscow] regional branch of YABLOKO
“The City Comfortable for Living”.
The conference also elected the leaders of the Moscow YABLOKO
The leader of the Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO
Sergei Mitrokhin maintained the post of the chair to the Moscow
YABLOKO. Forty delgates of the conference elected Sergei Mitrokhin
by a secret ballot Chair of the Moscow YABLOKO for another
two-year term. There were no abstentions or dissenting votes,
four bulletins were recognised invalid, Interfax correspondent
reports.
Also it turned out that there were alternatives to Sergei
Mitrokhin by the time of the voting: two other candidates
– Alexander Gnezdilov and Konstantin Petrosyan – refused to
take their nominations.
“Sergei Mitrokhin is an outstanding leader who managed to
preserve the party in the toughest situation,” Andrei Babushkin,
deputy head of the Moscow YABLOKO leader, said during nomination
of the candidates.
Sergei Mitrokhin has been leading the Moscow branch of YABLOKO
since 2004 and it is the fourth time that he is elected head
of the Moscow party organisation. Also Sergei Mitrokhin has
been holding the post of the Chair of the Russian United Democratic
Party YABLOKO (elected in June 2008).
In addition, the conference elected Chair of YABLOKO’s Gender
faction and Secretary of the Political Committee Galina Mikhalyova
first deputy head of the Moscow YABLOKO.
The conference also elected six deputy chairs of the Moscow
YABLOKO. They are Eugeny Bunimovich, Moscow Ombudsman for
Child Rights, Alexei Borschenko, leader of the Elder Generation
faction, Alexander Gnezdilov, deputy chair of the Youth Chamber
under the Moscow City Duma, human rights activist Andrei Babushkin,
Ivan Bolshakov and entrepreneur Zoya Shargatova.
Deputy Chair of the Moscow YABLOKO Ivan Bolshakov was elected
to the Federal Council of the party. The conference also elected
19 members of the Regional Council, including Director of
the Republican Human Reproduction Centre Dr. Andrei Akopyan
and the oldest blogger of the Russina segment of the Internet
Engelina Tareyeva who will turn 85 soon.
The Regional Council also includes the heads of the Moscow
organisation and is composed of 27 people in total.
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