Press Release, 17.09.2014

The elections in St.Petersburg on September 14 didn’t come off and Poltavchenko remained the “appointed” governor noted head of YABLOKO faction in St.Petersburg Legislative Assembly Grigory Yavlinsky. Despite mass-scale election fraud and pressure YABLOKO has shown good result at the elections in St.Petersburg and the regions of Russia.

Today at the plenary meeting of the St.Petersburg Legislative Assembly the representatives of the opposition factions sighed a common statement on non-recognition of the elections on September 14 in St.Petersburg which were marked with mass-scale election fraud and low voting appearance according to the deputies’ opinion. Grigory Yavlinsky emphasized that the application hadn’t been sent to court on purpose but to the Prosecutor’s office, the Investigative Committee and FSB since “the events connected with usurpation of power are a serious crime against the state and demand the following investigative measures”.

Yavlinsky is sure that the true gubernatorial elections in St.Petersburg had been given up when it had become known that there were no real rivals for Poltavchenko. According to Yavlinsky, as a result of mass-scale election fraud Georgy Poltavchenko “remained the appointed governor”.

YABLOKO had achieved good results in many regions of Russia said Yavlinsky. This way YABLOKO gained on average 13 percent at the Moscow City Duma elections. According to member of YABLOKO Politcal Committee Yavlinsky, the party had gained good results in the Moscow and Pskov regions. “One can change the situation in the country only by peaceful political measures such as elections”, he said.

According to Yavlinsky, mass-scale election fraud at regional and gubernatorial elections in St.Petersburg and other regions of Russia has become the direct result of joining of the Crimea to Russia: “after the events in the Crimea it has become clear tha the authorities won’t stop here, then the election fraud and violation of law will continue due to the principle “why can’t we do it here if it’s allowed there?”.