Liberal International, 23.02.2017
The presidential hopeful of Yabloko (LI full member), Grigory Yavlinsky, has set his campaign for the key Russian elections in 2018 into full swing. He received a boost from a well-known opposition leader Vladimir Ryzhkov who, in a public statement, said: “Grigory Yavlinsky meets my political opinions, my stance, my programme better than other candidates who have already stated their ambitions to participate in the presidential race.”

Yavlinsky sees the elections putting the Russian Federation move forward and stop going round in circles. The turn towards the past is a global trend, according to Yavlinsky, and “in this respect Putin is very close to Trump”. He connected that to Brexit and the growth of nationalism in Europe. “There are tendencies of returning to the past in many spheres and fields – “it used to be okay then!” – and there is lack of understanding with regard to the future.

“Again” means going back, it is the exploitation of the past,” Yavlinsky stressed. “No such a thing as “again” exists for us. “We have another task – to make Russia a modern and rapidly developing country where life, dignity, and respect for a person will be the priority. I invite you to work for it,” Yabloko’s presidential candidate concluded.

Yavlinsky expressed conviction that Russia has the potential and resources in order to provide a rapid translational motion of advance for our country. In order to do so we need to change the government, stop “the policy of conflicts and pressure on the neighboring countries” and achieve the lifting of sanctions.

He made the statements at the “New YABLOKO – Young Generation Forum” joined by young people from 30 regions of Russia who are preparing to become part of the 600 election representatives that a candidate for President of Russia has the right to nominate. Grigory Yavlinski is laureate of the LI Prize for Freedom. He participated in the presidential race three times. In 1996 he finished fourth, in 2000 he finished third. He was withdrawn from the presidential race of 2012 on political grounds.

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