Press Release, 31.08.2026

Photo: Activists of Tatarstan Yabloko (Ayrat Gumerbaev, far left) / Photo by Sofya Fyodorova

On 31 August, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tatarstan has granted a claim filed by the Territorial Electoral Commission (TEC) for Naberezhnye Chelny Constituency No. 34, seeking the cancellation of the registration of Yabloko candidate Ayrat Gumerbaev in the State Duma elections.

The reason cited was his ownership of foreign securities.

“Ayrat had warned the electoral commission that he was unable to dispose of these securities owing to blockages within the depositary infrastructure. Evidence that the sale of these shares was impossible was submitted to, and accepted by, the TEC,” Tatarstan Yabloko notes.

The case was heard by a judge of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tatarstan.

It should be emphasised that the court did not allow Ruslan Zinatullin, head of the regional branch of Yabloko, to take part in the proceedings: despite its own ruling admitting the party to the case, and despite a power of attorney, the court refused him on the grounds of his “lack of a higher legal education”. However, the TEC secretary, despite likewise lacking a higher legal education, was permitted to take part as the claimant’s representative.

Yabloko candidate Ayrat Gumerbaev, a research institute employee, conducted his own defence in court.

He argued that either the claimant or the court was obliged to establish the fact of his ownership and/or use of a specific foreign financial instrument, to produce the original responses from depositaries and registrars, and to disclose the substance of the findings of the unspecified inspection to which the TEC referred in its claim.

Ayrat Gumerbaev also recalled the case of his St. Petersburg colleague Anton Kostik, also a candidate from Yabloko: on 24 August, the court had ruled in his favour and refused to cancel his registration as a candidate when considering an identical complaint about securities from a TEC.

It should be noted that the court dismissed the motion to obtain the USB drive containing evidence that the foreign shares could not be disposed of. Prior to this, the TEC’s representative had claimed that he had not received the “flash drive” from the defendant.

Ayrat Gumerbaev also pointed out that the TEC had known from the outset that the foreign securities could not be disposed of, yet had claimed the opposite in its lawsuit, even though it had received all the relevant information from the candidate well in advance and in the manner prescribed by law.

Nevertheless, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tatarstan ruled to grant the electoral commission’s claim.

The ruling will shortly be appealed to the Fourth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction.