Press Release, 1.09.2021

Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

Ivan Efimov, Deputy Chairman of Territorial Electoral Commission No. 27 from the ruling United Russia party, called the police to volunteer of the campaign of Dmitry Khorzov, Yabloko candidate for the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, and virtually broke up the campaigning. According to Efimov, the campaign’s roll-up violates the law on rallies. Activists of the St.Petersburg branch of Yabloko believe that Efimov was acting in the interests of the candidate for the Legislative Assembly from United Russia, Alexei Makarov, who is running in the same constituency as Khorzov.

On 31 August, Dmitry Khorzov’s campaigner placed a roll-up at the Park Pobedy metro station and began distributing leaflets with information about the Yabloko’s candidate. The campaigning was broke up by Ivan Efimov, a member of the territorial electoral commission from United Russia. He called the police to the scene because, in his opinion, the installation of a campaign roll-up requires approval from the city administration and violates the law “On meetings, rallies and picketing”.

However, an installation of a roll-up and distribution of leaflets is not a public event, but an campaigning activity. The right to campaign is guaranteed of citizens and public associations and regulated by the law “On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights”. Campaigning activities do not require any coordination with the authorities and can be carried out without any notification of the authorities. Demanding to get a permission for distribution of leaflets or installing roll-ups is unlawful.

The activists of the St. Petersburg branch of Yabloko are certain that the member of the electoral commission Ivan Efimov was acting in the interests of Alexei Makarov, a candidate for the Legislative Assembly from the United Russia party, who is running in the same constituency as Yabloko’s Dmitry Khorzov. Efimov has been working in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg for many years and was closely associated with Makarov in a number of activities. He was also Makarov’s assistant.

It should be noted that Yabloko nominated 25 candidates for the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly in single-mandate constituencies. Dmitry Khorzov is running for the Legislative Assembly in constituency No. 20 (the Moscow and Kirov districts).