Press Release, 05.08.2016

The Central Electoral Commission registered the list of candidates from the YABLOKO party to run in the elections to the State Duma of the seventh convocation. The corresponding decision was adopted at the meeting of the Central Electoral Commission today, on 5 August.

The top ten of YABLOKO candidates includes Grigory Yavlinsky, YABLOKO founder, Emilia Slabunova, Chair of the party and deputy of the Karelian Legislative Assembly, Vladimir Ryzhkov, famous politician, professor at the Higher School of Economics, Lev Shlosberg, head of the Pskov branch of YABLOKO, ex-deputy of the Pskov Region Legislative Assembly and journalist, Sergei Mitrokhin, head of the Moscow branch of YABLOKO and ex-Chair of the party, Mark Geilikman, head of the party election head-quarters, Nikolai Rybakov, Deputy Chair of the party and environmentalist, Galina Shirshina, ex-Mayor of Petrozavodsk, Alexander Gnezdilov, Deputy Chair of the party and theatre director, and Dmitry Gudkov, politician and oppositional MP of the State Duma. Also 295 YABLOKO candidates are running in 64 regional groups. In addition, YABLOKO nominated candidates in 175 out of the 225 single-mandate constituencies.

“Now, when the party enters into an active phase of the election campaign, I would like wish to the Central Electoral Commission persistence in the implementation of the declared policy of fair elections”, Emilia Slabunova, Chair of the YABLOKO party said after a meeting of the Central Electoral Commission. According to Slabunova, sound competition in the elections and honest election procedures are a guarantee of the political stability in the society.

Emilia Slabunova expressed her hope that “a real barrier be put to the use of administrative resources in this election so that violations are stopped and dirty techniques are not used.” However, she noted that the first phase of the campaign demonstrated that there was no equal access to the media for all parties.

On Monday, YABLOKO leaders will tell at a press conference what YABLOKO will focus on in its campaign, speak about the election programme of the party and what results the party expects to get in the election.