Press Release, 12.06.2024

Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

The Moscow branch of Yabloko nominated candidates for the elections of Moscow City Duma deputies that will take place on 8 September. The list consists of 24 people. This decision was made at the Conference of the Moscow branch of the party on 12 June. All candidates will conduct an election campaign under the slogan “For Peace and Freedom! For the ceasefire agreement!”

Grigory Yavlinsky, Yabloko founder and Chairman of the Federal Political Committee spoke before the conference delegates:

“The aims and goals in the existence of our party is the bright and prosperous future for Russia: freedom, independence, peace, human dignity, equality of opportunity, and respect for people. Our party has never had any other tasks and goals in all 30 years of its existence. We have always proposed and fought for reforms that will lead our country to prosperity. We love our country, we believe in it and we respect our people.”

In the current conditions, proceeding from these goals, the Yabloko party is participating in elections throughout the country to politically promote the thesis of the need to immediately sign a ceasefire agreement, Grigory Yavlinsky said.

“Ordinary city problems fade into the background. They can be dealt with, but not on behalf of our party. [The pro-government] United Russia, the communists, all the other are speaking about it. Our party has a different agenda. A ceasefire is a matter of life and the future of our country,” Yavlinsky said.

According to the Yabloko leader, although this agenda is not dominant in the mass media in Russia, it is the one that opens Russia’s path to the future and meets the interests of Russian citizens. Even according to official public opinion polls, up to 30% of Russians share the same point of view. “We express the interests of these people through our activities,” Yavlinsky stressed.

He also warned that such a political position could pose threats to the personal safety of candidates, and the party would not be able to protect them. But, certainly, the party will try to do everything possible to help its candidates.

Speaking to the participants of the Moscow conference, Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov noted that the biggest threat to Russia and the whole world is nuclear war. The task of Yabloko is to spare no effort to stop this threat.

“This is truly a very serious challenge facing each of us, at a time when the country is plunging into an even greater atmosphere of aggression, obscurantism, persecution of the dissent, drawing up new protocols of violations against the dissenting, detentions, arrests, and new trials – this is really very difficult,” Nikolai Rybakov said.

“But if you and I have decided that we will fight for a better future for our country and for the people in our country, then we should not hesitate to do so. We can go into these elections with our heads high, knowing that we stand for what matters most now – for peace, for freedom and preservation of human lives. I am deeply grateful to everyone who decided to do this in Moscow in 2024,” Rybakov concluded.

Maxim Kruglov, a current Moscow City Duma deputy and a Deputy Chairman of the party, assessed the list of candidates from Yabloko. Considering the principled political stance of the party, it is worth much that 24 party candidates are ready to run under the slogan “For Peace and Freedom!” and demand a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

“Our list includes candidates with higher education; several people graduated from Moscow State University. There are lawyers, philologists, political scientists, journalists, and several candidates of science, including in technical fields, among the candidates from Yabloko.

In terms of experience, professionalism, and culture and intellectuality, we have the most representative list of candidates. We will have something to offer Muscovites in these elections that are very difficult for us,” Maxim Kruglov concluded.

To participate in the elections, all candidates from Yabloko must collect about 5,000 signatures of Muscovites in their support of their nomination by 6 July. Yabloko asks all Muscovites who share the party stance to put their signatures in favour of Yabloko candidates and render them support.

Elections of deputies to the Moscow parliament will be held on a single voting day – 8 September, 2024.

The list of Yabloko candidates for the Moscow City Duma elections is here.