Press Release, 11.12.2023

Photo: Igor Artemyev, a member of the Federal Political Committee, speaks at the Congress on 9 December / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

Past weekend, the 22nd Yabloko Congress took place in Moscow. The Congress elected the party leaders and the executive bodies of the party for the next four years. Nikolai Rybakov retained the post of Yabloko Chairman, 55% of delegates voted for him. The programme “Peace. Progress. Human Rights”, with which Nikolai Rybakov campaigned for the post of party Chairman is published on the Yabloko website.

In his speech at the Congress, Nikolai Rybakov spoke about the historical forks of the last 30 years and Yabloko’s proposals for each of them:

““We are working to ensure that all Russians could have a good, peaceful, and humane future. It is a heavy burden, but no one else will take it. Because it is unprofitable and unpopular. But this is the only possible option for our life. We have vast experience and knowledge accumulated by people who have been working in the party for 30 years. This experience is needed so that to make the right choice at the next forks. This moment will definitely come. We work in Russia, for Russia and for the people.”

According to Yabloko founder Grigory Yavlinsky, the role of the party must radically change: Yabloko is no longer a party trying to correct the policies of the state. The circumstances in the country are such. The video recording and full transcript of his report, which was dedicated not only to the party, can be found here. Grigory Yavlinsky also spoke about Yabloko members who were killed because of their uncompromising stance, and about the present repression against Yabloko members, including criminal cases filed against Yabloko members, imprisonment, huge fines, searches in the party members homes and regional offices of the party and ban on publications in the social media (when pages by Yabloko members were banned by the decision of the Public Prosecutor General). Grigory Yavlinsky also spoke about all political prisoners in Russia, deprived of their freedom because they criticized the policies of the authorities, and also mentioned the “foreign agent” status “awarded” to the dissenting and considerably hampering their political acitvities, including for Yabloko members: Lev Shlosberg, Svetlana Gannushkina, Andrei Morev and Nobel Prize winner Dmitry Muratov.

Yavlinsky also spoke about the special military operation, stressing that it must be urgently stopped as taking lives of so many people. He also touched upon the issue of how the special military operation affects Russian economy and the prospects may be. According to Yavlinsky, the causes of the present situation were the lack of the assessment of Bolshevism and Stalinism on the state and public level, the Russian reforms of 1990s resulting in the creation of an oligarchic state, as well as the overall crisis of politics in the world giving rise to populism and the extreme right, the situation when politics has been drifting away from culture, professional knowledge, values, faith, and understanding of history.

Speaking about what need to be done in Russia, Yavlinsky singled out five points: a ceasefire, an exchange of prisoners of all for all, investigation of all war crimes, start of diplomatic negotiations;  freedom, repealing of repressive laws, release of all (about 600 people) political prisoners; the restoration of normal relations with the world, ending the new Cold War, ending the arms race, resuming nuclear safety treaties; a political reform, regular change of power and fair elections; building a modern economy in Russia, healthcare and education reforms, provision of equal opportunities for everyone.

Nikolai Rybakov’s deputy in 2019-2023, Ivan Bolshakov, speaking to the delegates of the Congress, noted that after the authorities destroyed most of independent non-government organisations in Russia, there was no one to engage in systematic work in many sectors. Yabloko must take on this mission: “We need to turn Yabloko offices into centres of civil society in cities and regions,” Bolshakov said.

After being elected to a second term, Nikolai Rybakov announced the decision to double the number of deputy chairpersons of the party. Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Boris Vishnevsky and head of Moscow Yabloko Sergei Ivanenko will continue to work in this post. The newly appointed deputy chairpersons are: the leader of the Pskov Yabloko Lev Shlosberg, the head of the Yabloko faction in the Moscow City Duma Maxim Kruglov, the head of the Novgorod Yabloko and a deputy of the Novgorod City Duma Anna Cherepanova, the Chairman of the Tula Yabloko and the party representative in the Central Electoral Commission Vladimir Dorokhov.

The Congress also elected the Federal Political Committee and the Bureau. The new members of the Federal Political Committee, which is a steering body of the party, dealing with the party’s strategy, are the famous economist Yevgeny Gontmakher, Alexei Melnikov, economist, publicist and a State Duma deputy of three convocations, and political scientist Ivan Bolshakov.

The Federal Bureau includes 21 people (including the party Chairman and Deputy Chairpersons). Representatives from 15 regions became members of this executive body, 40 per cent of the Bureau are newly elected.

On 10 December, the Yabloko party Congress adopted an appeal to the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine. The address runs that the duty of responsible politicians is to protect the future of their countries.

“We appeal to the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine with the demand to conclude a ceasefire agreement and begin negotiations on a future peace. We call on the leaders of the United States, the European Union and China to support the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine.”

The appeal emphasises that people wish peace and justice.

The Yabloko Congress adopted several more important statements. We will publish them soon (the links will appear on this page).

CONGRESS DECISIONS AND RESOLUTIONS:

Appeal from the Yabloko Party Congress to the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine: Conclude a ceasefire agreement!

To the 30th anniversary of voting for the Russian Constitution