Press Release, 23.07.2021

Photo: Chairman of the Supreme Court Vyacheslav Lebedev and Chairman of the Constitutional Court Valery Zorkin. Photo: by Dmitry Azarov / Kommersant

The Supreme Court dismissed the administrative law suit of the Yabloko party against the Central Electoral Commission regarding the cancellation of public video broadcasting from polling stations. The Supreme Court did not assess whether the actions of the Central Electoral Commission were in line with the Constitution of the RF.

The Supreme Court believes that under the law “On elections of deputies of the State Duma” the Central Electoral Commission can determine the procedure for video surveillance, but it is impossible to assess how the Central Electoral Commission’s actions violate the rights of citizens without checking the relevant law, and this lies within the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court.

In addition, the Supreme Court ruled out that since the party would have access to video broadcasts from 100,000 polling stations for two (!) PCs, it means that its rights were not violated.

Yabloko continues to insist that the rights to control elections guaranteed by law must not be diminished.

“The already secured right to observe elections through video broadcasting cannot be infringed upon. If the Supreme Court has raised this issue to the Constitutional Court, we are not against it, we will go to the Constitutional Court,” Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov said.

Earlier, the head of the Central Electoral Commission Ella Pamfilova labelled Yabloko’s claim to the Supreme Court as “absurd and petty”, and the citizens who wished to watch the video broadcast [from polling stations] as “sofa observers.” According to Pamfilova, Internet broadcasting from polling stations within three days would cost Moscow almost 1 billion roubles. Nikolai Rybakov, in response, urged the authorities to abandon the purchase of artificial flowers and spruce branches to decorate Moscow for the New Year which would cost the same amount. “Fair elections are more important than spruce branches in the streets of Moscow,” Rybakov said.