By Grigory Yavlinsky and Alexander Shishlov
On Oct. 25 the Views pages published an article by our colleagues
in the group of European Liberal and Democrats parties (ELDR),
Guy Verhofstadt and Mikhail Kasyanov, under the headline Time
to lean on Russia. Their categorical assessments and their
recommended actions in the run-up to parliamentary elections
in Russia compel us, leaders of the electoral list of the
Russian United Democratic Party Yabloko a member of the
ELDR since 2006 to respond with equally categorical objections.
Verhofstadt and Kasyanov write: Whatever credibility these
elections still had was erased, and Russians are being presented
with a stage-managed campaign between political forces loyal
to the Kremlin. This could not be further from the truth
when it comes to Yabloko unfortunately, the only opposition
democratic party to participate in the elections.
By the logic of Verhofstadt and Kasyanov, Polands Solidarity
and the Peoples Fronts of the Baltic States were also loyal
to Communist regimes, and Andrei Sakharov was loyal to the
Soviet regime. In fact, they all fought, as does Yabloko,
for peaceful change. And in the end they won.
Yabloko has been active in Russian politics for almost 20
years. Fully aware of our responsibility to Russian citizens,
who aspire to liberty and justice, our party has managed to
survive and retain its potential against continuous and severe
administrative pressure. Our work has been not only difficult,
it has been dangerous, and in some cases fatal. Larisa Yudina,
leader of the Yabloko branch in Kalmykia and a journalist,
was killed; so were Farid Babayev, leader of Yabloko in Dagestan,
and Yuri Shchekochikhin, a Duma deputy and investigative journalist
who was investigating corruption in the secret services.
It is true that elections in Russia today are not free and
fair. But this is due not only to the fact that Kasyanovs
party was denied registration and thus cannot take part in
the elections. Russian elections ceased being free and fair
after the presidential elections in 1996. Unfortunately, back
then European liberals did not protest as loudly as they are
doing now. (In fact, the electoral system was similarly defective
in 2003 when Kasyanov was prime minister under President Vladimir
Putin).
Today, however, this is how Russian elections are held and
there are no other means for a peaceful, nonviolent change
in political course and change of government. Liberals at
Yabloko proceed from the premise that an outright rejection
of all opportunities for peaceful change and the adoption
of actions based on the principle that it has to get worse
before it gets better is irresponsible and leads to a dead-end.
We believe that we should leverage all legal options for
opposing Putins authoritarian regime. That is why Yabloko
is participating in the elections. At the December parliamentary
elections, only Yabloko will offer voters a liberal and democratic
alternative to the present authoritarian-oligarchic system.
Moreover, today the public mood in Russia differs qualitatively
from the mood in 2003 and 2007. Many people want to see change.
And we should use every opportunity to start implementing
such change. But Verhofstadt and Kasyanov propose, without
even waiting until the elections have taken place, to reject
them as illegitimate.
In effect, while invoking the Helsinki Final Act of 1975,
they are calling for further confrontation, and propose measures
that are unrealistic given the current climate in Europe,
when E.U. member states are preoccupied with the resolution
of domestic issues.
It would be a grave error to attempt to lean on Russia
without taking into account the current mood in Russian society
and arrogantly disregarding the opinion of millions of Russian
voters. Russians do not like to be leaned on. For the liberal
faction in the European Parliament to adopt so shallow an
approach would be an admission that Europe cannot understand
the real problems or offer appropriate solutions.
Only Russian citizens can make elections free and fair. This
may require help, but it cannot be done through the application
of external pressure.
Grigory Yavlinsky, a former
vice prime minister of Russia, is the founder of the Yabloko
party and member of its political council. Alexander
Shishlov is a member of Yabloko Bureau and vice president
of the Liberal International.
See also:
The
original publication in The New York Times
The
original publication in the International Herald Tribune
Elections
to the State Duma 2011
Russia-EU
Relations
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