Press release, 23.05.2016

Adviser to YABLOKO Chairperson and ALDE LeaDeR award winner 2016 Galina Shirshina made a working visit to Barnaul, Tomsk and Novosibirsk.

On 21 May, Galina Shirshina held a meeting with the activists and supporters of YABLOKO in Siberia. They discussed the peculiarities of the political, social and economic situation in the country and the necessity to take them into consideration during the campaign. The participants touched upon the issues directly concerning the organization of the campaign in the Tomsk Region. Galina Shirshina spoke about the development of the programme, stressing that it would include a separate section on the problems of Siberia and the Far East.

On 22 May, Galina Shirshina, Vladimir Ryzhkov and Alexander Goncharenko, Chair of the Altai Territory branch of YABLOKO, participated in a seminar on “The political, social and economic situation in Russia, the aims of the democratic forces”. The seminar was attended by the representatives of YABLOKO, RPR-PARNAS, Alexei Navalny’s unregistered Progress Party, public organizations and civil activists.

“In the first place we must give a voter the answers to the following questions: what is the YABLOKO of today like and what does the party do to make strong, honest and smart candidates win the September elections,” Shirshina said.

Vladimir Ryzhkov told those present about the new political and economic challenges of the country and the territory and about the prospects of the democratic forces at 2016 elections. Alexander Goncharenko expressed hope that the seminar was another step towards the victory of the democratic opposition at the coming elections of 18 September.

On 23 May, Galina Shirshina arrived in Novosibirsk. During the meeting with the journalists former Petrozavodsk Mayor announced that the party was carrying negotiations with ex Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs of Russia and former senator Ivan Starikov, as well as the representatives of democratic opposition parties.

“We are discussing different candidacies, and one of the aims of my visit is to get the feedback – how the local residents estimate the nomination of this or that candidate,” Shirshina said.

Adviser to YABLOKO Chairperson thinks that YABLOKO has all the [necessary] conditions to enter the State Duma.

“The situation is difficult and it is beyond doubt that YABLOKO will have to work very hard to enter the State Duma, but, nevertheless, at the moment there are conditions for YABLOKO to get into the parliament,” Shirshina noted.

In April Galina Shirshina, Ex Mayor of Petrozavodsk, dismissed by the decision of [Petrozavodsk] municipal deputies, was awarded a Special Prize of the President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe – ALDE LeaDer Award – for individual achievement in strengthening the liberal values.