Press Release, 22.08.2021

Photo: Roman Maksimov and Maxim Nikitin / Photo by the Press Service of the Novgorod branch of Yabloko

The Electoral Commission of the Novgorod Region is going to apply to the court to cancel the registration of two Yabloko candidates for the Novgorod Region Duma: Maxim Nikitin and Roman Maksimov. The electoral commission is going to remove them from the elections for their alleged connection with “extremist organisations” – the FBK and the headquarters of Alexei Navalny – these organisations have been declared banned on the territory of the Russian Federation. Maksimov was serving an administrative arrest, and Nikitin received compulsory community service for participating in the rallies in support of political prisoners. According to the Ministry of Justice and the Novgorod Electoral Commission, this makes them involved in the activities of an “extremist organisation”.

“It came as a surprise to me that they wanted to remove me from the elections on a fabricated case. I have never been a member of FBK * or Navalny * headquarters. Indeed, I took part in the rally in winter, as a responsible citizen who believes that it is impossible to detain a person on a far-fetched case,” Maxim Nikitin, a Yabloko candidate to the Novgorod Region Duma, says commenting on the situation.

Both candidates were nominated by Yabloko to run for the Novgorod Region Duma on the Yabloko list of candidates. The electoral commission did not have any questions about the party list, and the candidates were registered on 23 July. However, on Friday, August 20, the Novgorod Region Electoral Commission decided that it would appeal the registration of two Yabloko candidates in court. The electoral commission explained that the Ministry of Justice provided information to the electoral commission about the alleged connection of the registered candidates with “extremist organisations”.

Under the new legislation, persons associated with “extremist organisations” cannot participate in elections as candidates.

“All that has happened was quite expected for me. The recently adopted law prohibiting people associated with “extremist” organisations from being elected is very conveniently worded. If you want, you can bring millions of people under it, and moreover myself, who was serving arrest for “organising” rallies, ” candidate Roman Maksimov comments the decision of the electoral commission.

The Novgorod branch of Yabloko will defend the interests of both its candidates in court.

It should be noted that on 20 August, a court in Kazan recognised Ruslan Zinatullin, a Yabloko candidate for the State Duma, involved in an “extremist” organisation.

The Moscow City Court made a decision to cancel the registration of Lev Shlosberg as a candidate for State Duma in a single-mandate constituency on the administrative claim of Andrei Pangayev, a candidate for State Duma deputy in single-mandate constituency No. 207 from the Green Party.

On August 6, an administrative protocol was drawn up against Alexander Korovainy, a candidate for State Duma from Yabloko, for his deleted video in support of Alexei Navalny.

Viktor Rau, Yabloko’s candidate to the State Duma in the Altai Territory, was removed from the elections for his participation in the January rallies.

In Nizhny Novgorod the Central Electoral Commission withdrew journalist Natalia Rezontova from the Yabloko list of candidates to the State Duma.  The electoral commission motivated such a decision by alleged participation of Rezontova in the activities of an extremist organisation.

Yabloko candidate to the State Duma Anatoly Nogovitsyn was notified of his involvement in the activities of an “extremist organisation”.

* the organisations prohibited in Russia