Press Release, 17.08.2024

The campaign of registration of Yabloko candidates in elections at various levels has been completed in all regions of Russia and in Moscow. As of today, 73 Yabloko candidates are participating in 31 election campaigns in nine regions of the country under a single party slogan “For Peace and Freedom! For the Ceasefire Agreement!”. In total, Yabloko nominated 300 candidates in 19 regions in this election cycle. In 13 regions of the country, 139 candidates needed to collect voters’ signatures in favour of their registration. The list of registered candidates is available at the link.

Traditionally, the party faced pressure from the authorities. In Moscow, the electoral commission, and later the court, refused to register incumbent deputy Maxim Kruglov in the Moscow City Duma elections. In St. Petersburg, incumbent deputy of the Legislative Assembly Boris Vishnevsky received the status of a “foreign agent” and lost the right to run for governor of St.Petersburg. In addition, in St. Petersburg, Olga Yurkevich, a candidate for the by-election to the Legislative Assembly, and all 85 candidates for municipal deputies were denied registration. Three candidates for governor (in Kaliningrad, Tula and Chelyabinsk regions) were not allowed to participate in the elections due to a municipal filter – a requirement to collect signatures of municipal deputies in favour of registration. In Chelyabinsk, Tula, Kurgan, Irkutsk, Vologda, Chita and other cities, candidates for city parliaments were removed from the elections based on signatures. In the Moscow region, candidates for the Councils of Sergiyev Posad and Korolyov were removed from the campaign.

Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov comments on the results of the registration of Yabloko candidates:

— We have been and will continue to conduct a political campaign throughout the country – for peace, for an immediate ceasefire agreement, for freedom. In elections of any level – from elections in rural settlements to by-elections to the State Duma. Because there is no more important issue now.

For some reason, the authorities have the idea that our election participants are fighting for seats in parliaments. Regional authorities will do anything in this fight against us, using any methods, just to prevent Yabloko from participating in the elections. Well, they don’t remove from elections those whom they are not afraid of. The authorities know that millions of people support our position, and therefore, do not allow to register us in elections.

However, we are not fighting for seats, but for the future of the country, and we will continue to fight – talk to people, fight for their minds, fight for peace and for the preservation of humanity, for the release of all political prisoners.

Vladimir Dorokhov, Deputy Chairman of Yabloko and Yabloko representative in the Central Electoral Commission of the Russian Federation:

– The main tool for preventing our candidates from participating in the elections is the refusal to register them based on voters’ signatures. The very collection of passport data from citizens is an absolutely outdated tool. There are less than 15 active parties left in the country, and even fewer participate in the elections. There is no point now in using the screening tool that was used when there were more than 50 political parties.

The fact that today regional authorities are actively using this tool to remove our candidates who advocate peace and freedom from the elections is clear evidence that this slogan is supported by millions of our fellow citizens. The authorities are afraid to see this in the election results, even having all the resources to falsify them.

Our strength is not in the deputy seats, but in historical correctness and firm conviction in our principles. Therefore, we will continue our work, and, unlike elections, no one can interfere with this.

***

Yabloko calls all Russian citizens to support our candidates campaigning FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM! Vote at the polling stations on 8 September, 2024.

Yabloko also asks those Russians citizens who are ready to become volunteers in the election campaigns, observers at a polling stations, or donate to the campaigns, to contact us.