Statement by the Chairman of the Federal Political Committee, 27.07.2020

Photo: Oleg Mandrykin, Yabloko candidate for Governor of the Arkhangelsk region

In the Arkhangelsk region, Oleg Mandrykin was nominated for the post of Governor. He represents the STOP-SHIES coalition – a protest movement to prevent the construction of landfills in the region, consisting of 36 public organisations and associations. The candidate is actively working so that to pass the “municipal filter”. At present, 165 signatures [of municipal deputies] out of 189 required have been collected and the consent of another 20 municipal deputies has been obtained. [Collection of a certain number of signatures in favour of nomination of candidates is a mandatory requirement of the Russian law. Signatures must be collected in compliance with strict requirements and within a short interval of time. Gubernatorial candidates have to collect signatures of municipal deputies in their support in the situation when most of municipal deputies come from the ruling United Russia party and block candidates from other parties from elections by refusing to sign for them.]

However, the administration of the Arkhangelsk region launched a large-scale illegal campaign of pressure on municipal deputies in order to prevent candidate from the real opposition Oleg Mandrykin from gubernatorial election. Threats, blackmail, bribery and direct deception of deputies are used.

Such actions of the authorities in order to prevent the people’s candidate from participating in the electoral process completely deprive the elections in the Arkhangelsk region of legitimacy. A governor elected without participation in the elections of candidate Mandrykin will not be accepted by the society.

It should be emphasised: the administration of the Arkhangelsk region provokes an explosion of social protests, like the one that we have seen in recent weeks in the Khabarovsk Territory.

We demand to stop the illegal actions of the Arkhangelsk Region administration in destabilization of the social situation in the region and, in full accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, let Oleg Mandrykin run in the elections.

Grigory Yavlinsky,

Chairman of the Federal Political Committee of the Party