Press Release, 2.08.2024

Photo: Delegates of the Moscow Regional Yabloko Conference / Photo by regional branch of Yabloko

On 2 August, the Territorial Electoral Commission of Sergiyev Posad will decide to refuse to register the Yabloko list of six people and two candidates in single-mandate constituencies in the elections of deputies of the District Council. Three more single-mandate candidates have already been refused registration. Court hearings are also taking place in the Leninsky urban district, where they are trying to remove three already registered Yabloko candidates from the elections. Yabloko fears that the Moscow Region authorities have decided to remove all 23 Yabloko candidates from the elections.

On 30 July, the Sergiyev Posad City Court considered the Rodina (Motherland) party’s lawsuit against the city Territorial Electoral Commission demanding that the decision to certify the list of Yabloko candidates for the Council of Deputies be overturned. The list of Yabloko candidates includes Sergei Kryzhov, Alexandra Yevseyeva, Kirill Yankov, Vasily Yezhenkov, Andrei Byrdin, and Yury Chernikov. The main argument in the claim is the same as in St. Petersburg, where all 83 Yabloko candidates for municipal elections were denied registration: the regional branch nominated candidates at the second stage of its current party Conference, and did not convene a new one.

In addition, the Conference resolution on the appointment of an authorized representative of the party referred to Federal Law No. 67 “On Elections” and the Moscow Region Law “On Municipal Elections”, which define the full list of powers of the representative. According to the plaintiff, it was necessary to copy this list into the document from the law. On this basis, it is concluded that the authorized representative of the party was allegedly not properly vested with the right to certify documents and submit them to the commission.

The plaintiff also demands that the Yabloko list be rejected due to the fact that the party representative failed to submit a notarised copy of the party’s power of attorney for the financial representative of the party to the electoral commission on time: it was submitted after the main package of documents.

Despite the fact that the claims against Yabloko are not based on either the law or the party’s By-Laws, the court refused to register the Yabloko members. The decision has not yet entered into force and will be appealed.

The Territorial Electoral Commission refused to register Yabloko candidates in single-mandate constituencies No. 4, No. 6, and No. 12 – regional branch Chairman Sergei Kryzhov, human rights activist Yury Chernikov, and Andrei Byrdin. The eletoral commission’s decision repeated the theses of the lawsuit. It is expected that the Yabloko list and the other single-mandate candidates will be refused registration at the commission meeting on 2 August.

Identical claims were filed by a candidate from A Just Russia party against the Vidnoye Territorial Electoral Commission. In two cases, the court sided with Yabloko: already registered candidates for the Leninsky Urban District Council in multi-mandate constituency No. 2, Alexandr Muravyov and Vladimir Tolkachev, continue their election campaign. A decision has not yet been made on the complaint against the registration of a candidate in the same constituency, Yevgeniya Yegorova.

The following candidates currently remain registered: candidates for the Kashira Council of Deputies Victoria Gofman, Lyubov Kopach and Dmitry Yanushkevich, who are running in multi-mandate constituency No. 3; candidate for the Ramensky Urban District Council in multi-mandate constituency No. 1, Svetlana Smirnova; candidate for the Podolsk Council in single-mandate constituency No. 13, Dmitry Zubarev.

Yabloko candidates for the Korolyov Council in multi-mandate district No. 5 Yulia Akhmeyeva and Sergei Matveyev; candidates for the Odintsovo Council in multi-mandate district No. 2 Yuri Vaskin and Danil Zimin have submitted all necessary documents to electoral commissions and are awaiting registration.

Chairman of the Moscow Regional Yabloko Sergei Kryzhov is confident that the decision to remove candidates from the elections who are running the campaign “For Peace and Freedom! For the Ceasefire Agreement!” is not based on the law and is politically motivated. Judging by how the court documents have been prepared, the Moscow Region authorities are continuing their campaign on removing Yabloko candidates from the elections that started five years ago.

“We will file appeals against courts decisions and send complaints to a higher electoral commission to protect the rights of Yabloko candidates and residents of the Moscow Region who want to vote for us. The authorities resist representation in municipalities of citizens who advocate for peace and freedom and want the killing of people to end as soon as possible. Our task is to carry this idea forward, despite the obstacles,” Sergei Kryzhov commented.

UPD: The Sergiyev Posad Territorial Electoral Commission has refused to register the party list and all candidates in the municipal council elections. Yabloko is preparing a complaint to a higher electoral commission. Meanwhile, in the Leninsky urban district, the court sided with candidate Yevgenia Yegorova and refused to remove her from the elections at the request of A Just Russia pro-government political party. Candidates for the Odintsovo Council in multi-mandate district No. 2, Yuri Vaskin and Danil Zimin, have been registered in the elections. Candidates for the Korolyov Council in multi-mandate district No. 5, Yulia Akhmeyeva and Sergei Matveyev, have been denied registration.