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Putin
Sworn In for 2nd Term
By Kevin O'Flynn, The Moscow Times, May 7, 2004
President Vladimir Putin will be sworn in for a second term Friday
in an elaborate ceremony whose invited guests will include lawmakers
and foreign ambassadors -- but apparently not liberal politicians.
The Putin Model Is Doomed to Fail
By Andrei Piontkovsky
Wall Street Journall, March 15, 2004
Yesterday's Russian presidential election was another triumph for Vladimir Putin's brand of "managed democracy." The campaign and election followed the pattern of the parliamentary vote three months ago, which the OSCE characterized as "free, but unfair."
Elections Without Choice: The 2004 Campaign
Galina Michaleva,
Head of the Yabloko Party's Analytical Center
Russian Election Watch, March 2004
Some key points:
* No candidate other than Putin is
actually trying to become president;
each is a mere tool of some other political
force, e. g., the Kremlin
* Kremlin invests surprising effort to
control an election it has in the bag
* The logic of authoritarianism inevitably
leads to repressive excess
* Kremlin destroying even the illusion
of democracy it hopes to project
* Putin reduces political role.
Putin's Popularity Veils Uncertainty for Russia
By Kim Murphy.
Los Angeles Times, March 14, 2004
The president is likely to be reelected today. His ability to address festering needs and commitment to civil liberties are unknown.
Putin's
Main Rival Is Apathy
By GUY CHAZAN, Wall Street Journal, March 11, 2004
Grigory
Yavlinsky, leader of the liberal Yabloko party, which suffered a crushing
defeat in December's Duma elections, says voting would mean supporting
the regime Mr. Putin has created -- "an authoritarian political system
where the press, secret services, elections, Parliament and business are
all controlled from one room."
Endorsing
a Candidate Not so Easy
Editorial, The Moscow Times, March 12, 2004
In this election, however, the biggest decision that voters face is
not whom to vote for, but whether to vote at all.
Putin
Calls on Voters to Show Up
By Francesca Mereu, The Moscow Times, March 12, 2004
President Vladimir Putin went on national television Thursday to
urge Russians to use their votes Sunday -- in a clear attempt to
increase the turnout of an election he is expected to win easily.
Putin's
Pursuit of the Power Vertical
By Caroline McGregor, The Moscow Times, March 11, 2004
So if all levers of state control are in Putin's hands,
the single question becomes: Where will he lead? No one knows. In four
years
in office, Putin has shown himself to be predictable in his ability to
be
unpredictable.
Russian
Human Rights Groups Decry Vote.
By Maria Danilova, Associated Press, March 10, 2004
The election "can be compared to a soccer game, which has no
goal, no ball and no field - just the score on the scoreboard, and
you are being invited to watch the score," said Grigory Yavlinsky,
leader of the liberal Yabloko party.
Sergei
Ivanenko: The economic and political course of the government will
be determined by the President. And YABLOKO shall create a democratic
coalition.
IA Marketing i Consulting, March 2, 2004
It is obvious that President Putin has formed a technical
Cabinet, which will be even more technical than Mikhail Kasyanov s Cabinet.
Getting
Out the Vote With Ads, Food, SMS
By Anatoly Medetsky and Oksana Yablokova, The Moscow Times, March 5, 2004
Concert tickets, groceries, SMS messages and even threats to turn down
medical assistance and dismiss government employees are among the tactics
being used by officials in an attempt to boost voter turnout on election
day.
"This
may be called a boycott"
By Anastasiya Matveyeva, Gazeta, February 25, 2004
...We proceed from the premise that people see the growing lack
of freedom in the country, lack of equality of participants in pseudo-democratic
elections, the bankruptcy and even comic nature of the candidacies.
Yabloko
Calls Cabinet Dismissal a Purge of Boris Yeltsin's Legacy
Rosbalt, February 25, 2004
By dismissing Kasyanov from his duties as prime minister, Putin
is demonstrating his independence and preparedness for a new economic
course,' said Mitrokhin.
On
the Presidential Elections
The Russian Democratic Party YABLOKO,
Bureau of the Federal Council, Statement, February 20, 2004
The Russian Democratic Party YABLOKO considers it impossible to participate
in another imitation of democratic procedures. We proceed from the premise
that people see the growing lack of freedom in the country, lack of equality
of participants in pseudo-democratic elections, the bankruptcy and even
comic nature of the candidacies. We believe that in these circumstances
non-participation in the elections of the President of the RF represents
a natural form of protest for people with democratic views.
Grigory
Yavlinsky: Russia Lacks the Underlying Framework required for a
Democratic Vote
Rosbalt, February 20, 2004
'We especially supported
the president during that most difficult time and specifically in the
struggle against international terrorism. It was extremely important that
Russia take the right decision and not end up left out,' Yavlinsky insisted.
However, he said, 'as time went on, the area for compromise began to narrow
and, in the last analysis, this led us to choose not to accept the presidential
elections.'
Take
Your Vote Away
By Viktor Khamrayev, Kommersant, February 21, 2004
YABLOKO said its supporters should not cast their votes in the March
14 presidential elections, as the campaign is being conducted "dishonestly".
However, the party said that YABLOKO's supporters should vote in
regional and municipal elections, which are also being held in several
regions also on March 14.
Yabloko
to boycott March 14, presidential election in Russia
Russia Journal, February 6, 2004
Making the announcing on Feb. 5, party leader Grigory Yavlinsky
said, "the decision supported by all party members nationwide
was made at a party conference."
Those
Who Failed to Pass into the Duma are Fortunate
Elena Bonner about the recent parliamentary and forth coming presidential elections, Novaya Gazeta, January 22, 2004
History, and the "Veshnyakov-style" elections, have given YABLOKO
and the Union of Right-Wing Forces a real opportunity to unite with the
nation under the boycott slogan, anyway, to unite with a considerable
part of the electorate. It would be a great mistake if they did not avail
themselves of this opportunity.
Russian
Democratic Party YABLOKO, We are impeding the rapid development
of a Potyomkin Village in Russia
Statement, Novaya Gazeta, January 22, 2004
The present developments are such that the YABLOKO party should not participate
in the presidential elections. It is impossible to conduct an independent
and free election campaign today.
Pulling
for Putin, Russia's upcoming presidential election is no contest
By Christian Caryl and Frank Brown, Newsweek International, January 26, 2004
"There are no elections in Russia anymore, period," contends
liberal politician Grigory Yavlinsky, whose Yabloko party is boycotting
the poll. "Over the past four years Putin has destroyed all
the autonomous elements in Russian society."
Russian
Democratic Party YABLOKO, Bureau of the Federal Council
Statement, January 15, 2004
...The socio-demographic characteristics of the country have been
continuously deteriorating. The arbitrary rule of the authorities
and police has intensified and aspects of totalitarianism have been
revived in Russia.
Russia:
A President without Rivals
By Sergei Borisov, Transitions Online, 13 January 2004
Most Russians have never doubted that Putin will be re-elected on 14
March.
And after the overwhelming victory of the pro-Putin United Russia Party
in
the parliamentary elections on
7 December, their conviction turned into a certainty.
The
state comes first for Vladimir Putin
Interview with Grigory Yavlinsky by Claudia von Salzen, Tagesspiegel, January 12, 2004
All elements of society are concentrated
in the same hands which resemble the 1930s. This is a semi-Soviet system.
Yavlinsky
Fears Totalitarian Slide
Reuters, January 12, 2004
Yavlinsky, speaking Thursday evening, said Russia has effectively
reverted to a Soviet-style one-party parliament after the December
elections. The pro-Kremlin United Russia party controls two-thirds of
seats
in the State Duma, and Yavlinsky said the other three parties there were
indistinguishable from it on all major issues.
Grigory
Yavlinsky: a Potyomkin village has been systematically built in
Russia.
Novaya Gazeta, December 25, 2003
The reason is that elections have ceased to be even relatively democratic
- honest, equal, or fair. With no judiciary independent from the
administration, no independent mass media, no independent sources
of funding, there cannot be real political competition - and that
is the essence of elections.
Kremlin
brings in unknowns to spice up 'one-sided' poll
By Julius Strauss in Moscow, The Sunday Telegraph (UK), January 12, 2004
In a practice not seen in Russia since Soviet times, the
Kremlin has put
forward its own men to run against Vladimir Putin in presidential elections
in March.
In
Russia, Everything Is Just Getting Started
Interview with Grigory Yavlinsky, Vedomosti, December 29, 2003
...it turned out to be exceptionally difficult to demonstrate that
there is a difference between real democrats and those who only
call themselves democrats. For example, people think Boris Yeltsin
was the main democrat. And it's been impossible to explain that
he wasn't a democrat at all.
Democratic
forces in full retreat. Putin's autocracy infects the body politic.
By Robert Service, Los Angeles Times, December 21, 2003
Yavlinsky had stood up for universal human
rights, for incorrupt politics and administration, for the rule of law
and social justice. Although he never came close to winning the presidential
races against either Boris Yeltsin or Vladimir Putin, his participation
at least meant that decent values were conserved in the country's discourse.
10
Candidates in a One-Horse Race
By Francesca Mereu, The Moscow Times, January 9, 2004
Nine candidates, including SPS leader Irina Khakamada
and Rodina leader
Sergei
Glazyev, met a year-end deadline to register to run against President
Vladimir
Putin in the March presidential election. But many of the challengers are
Putin
allies or are running at the Kremlin's request, so the election is shaping
up to
be a one-horse race, political analysts said Thursday.
Russian
liberal fears slide to authoritarian rule
By Mark Trevelyan, Reuters, January 9, 2004
Russia's most prominent liberal says March's presidential election
is a sham, and the country risks sliding towards totalitarianism
under the unchallenged grip of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
Will
Putin Run for Presdiency Against Unknowns?
By Sergei Yuriev, Komsomolskaya Pravda, December 30, 2003
...Putin will apparently run for president
against nobodies like Viktor Anpilov and Herman Sterligov, and Putin's
own supporter Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov.
SPS
Puzzled over Irina Khakamada's decision
RIA "Novosti", December 30, 2003
Anyway, it depends on the next party congress, on January 24, to
decide whether the Union of Right-Wing Forces will back her.
Presidential
Poll Eclipses 2003 Events
By Vladimir Kovalev, St.Petersburg Times, December 30, 2003
"A majority of people went to the polling stations and consciously
voted to turn the country back [to the state] it was 20 to 30 years
ago," Vishnevsky said last week in an interview.
Zyuganov,
Zhirinovsky Won't Run for President
By Oksana Yablokova, The Moscow Times, December 29, 2003
Two staples of all post-Soviet presidential elections -- Communist
Party chief Gennady Zyuganov and ultranationalist Liberal Democratic
Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky -- have decided at party congresses
not to run in the March election.
Grigory
Yavlinsky: You Cannot Raise Funds for the Campaign Without the Consent
of the Regime
By Mikhail Vinogradov, Izvestia, December 24, 2003
Grigory Yavlinsky
- leader of the Yabloko party, which is not represented in the new Duma
- will not take part in the presidential race. In this interview, the Yabloko
leader explains the reasons for his decision. Yavlinsky doesn't view this
as a disaster; he intends to try to preserve and strengthen his party,
looking ahead to the next elections.
The
Joint Democratic Council Begins Thinking for Two Parties
By Anatoli Yegorov, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, December 24, 2003
The Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) and Yabloko launched their
new joint project yesterday: the Joint Democratic Council.
Yabloko
Won't Stand In Presidential Poll
By Valeria Korchagina, St Peterburg Times, December 23, 2003
"Our biggest mistake was we should have understood earlier
that to win 5 percent in Russia, 20 percent of the vote must be
gathered de facto," Yavlinsky was quoted by Interfax as saying.
Putin
and the "half-wits"
By Yelena Shishkunova, Gazeta.ru, December 23, 2003
Vladimir Putin has officially announced his intention
to run for a second term and has already submitted the relevant documents
to the Central Electoral Commission. So far, Russia's incumbent has only
one rival - the coffin-maker and radical nationalist German Sterligov.
Grigory
Yavlinsky: "He should do it, by he won't."
Politburo, December 22, 2003
The President should create over the
next four years an independent court, independent mass media and, first
and foremost, public television, stop the interference of his administration
in elections and adopt decisive measures to reduce admnistrative pressure
at elections at all levels.
Putin's
Loneliness
By Elena Luybarskaya, pravda.ru, December 22, 2003
Even though he needs
to win in the first round, the victory should be legitimate in the eyes
of Russians. The elections are not considered legitimate when none of
the serious candidates are present.
Yabloko
won't take part in presidential elections
RosBusinessConsulting, December 22, 2003
The Yabloko party will not nominate its candidate for the presidential
elections in March 2004, because it believes that, in the present
political situation in Russia, fair and equal elections are impossible,
Grigory Yavlinsky, the leader of Yabloko, said after the party's
congress at the weekend.
Yabloko
snubs Putin and elections
By Yelena Rudneva, Gazeta.ru, December 22, 2003
According to Yavlinsky's key-note address to the gathering, Yabloko
aims to create a large democratic party ''that will truly unite the democratic
opposition for the next four years''. ''We will learn to work outside
parliament,'' Yavlinsky told the press after the congress.
Yabloko
refuses to back Putin's nomination for presidency.
By Natalya Panshina, ITAR-TASS, December 21, 2003
This amendment was
specially included on Sunday in the text of a
decision where the Yabloko congress confirmed that the party would not
be participating in the forthcoming presidential elections scheduled for
March 2004.
Yabloko
to concentrate on local elections for next four years
By Natalya Panshina, ITAR-TASS, December 21, 2003
The Yabloko Party will concentrate on regional and municipal elections
for the next four years in order to lay the a foundations for "a
big democratic party," Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky told
the press during a break of the party congress.
YABLOKO
to boycott 2004 presidential elections
RIA "Novosti", December 21, 2003
"The party will not nominate a presidential candidate," Yavlinsky
reported after the Yabloko congress. Previously the Yabloko leader had
been nominated for the presidency three times.
YABLOKO
congress to discuss election camapign issues
RIA "Novosti", December 20, 2003
The Yabloko party
will hold its congress on December 20-21, to define the format of its participation
in the presidential elections, a spokesperson for the party's press center
told RIA Novosti.
YABLOKO
decides not to nominate any candidate for presidency
By Natalya Panshina, ITAR-TASS, December 21, 2003
Yavlinsky stressed that the party's main task for the next four years
would be the formation of "a large impressive democratic party"
which would operate outside the
legislature as "a democratic opposition".
Russia's
liberals threaten boycott of 2004 presidential vote
AFP, December 21, 2003
They had argued for years over joining forces -- both being the emblems
of
the post-Soviet struggle to introduce Western economic reforms and introduce
new values on human rights -- but have failed.
Demoralised
Russian liberals boycott presidential race
AFP, December 21, 2003
The walkout by liberal forces is likely to be embarassing for Putin,
affecting the international legitimacy of the poll, but analysts say the
two small parties themselves will suffer the most from their political
exclusion.
Russia:
Opposition Parties Mulling United Boycott of Presidential Elections
By Valentinas Mite, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, December 22, 2003
Yavlinsky, a two-time presidential candidate, said fair elections are
impossible in Russia under existing conditions. He said Russia has no
independent national media outlets and no independent legal system.
Russian
liberals scorn the forthcoming presidential elections
Ekho Moskvy, December 21, 2003
Mitrokhin:...This mass use of the
administrative resource, the obvious ballot rigging during the counting
of votes, the lack of a free media which could give all candidates equal
conditions as well as the lack of any judicial system where something
can be proved, transforms the forthcoming
presidential elections into a farce.
The
Union of Right-Wing Forces is afraid that YABLOKO may be siding
with the Kremlin
By Anatoly Kostyukov, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, December 19, 2003
Needless to say, the prospect of a boycott frightened the Kremlin
- and Yavlinsky may have been summoned in the hope of persuading
the YABLOKO leader to abandon a protest action that could jeopardize
the necessary voter turnout.
No
Volunteers: Leaders of political parties refuse to challenge Putin
By Vitaly Ivanov, Vedomosti, December 19, 2003
"Why establish a party if it doesn't participate in the elections?"
Alexander Veshnyakov of the Central Electoral Commission said yesterday.
3
Parties Consider Boycotting Election
By Simon Saradzhyan, The Moscow Times, December 18, 2003
Leaders of the liberal and communist opposition said Wednesday that
they may form a rather unusual alliance to boycott the March presidential
election, which incumbent President Vladimir Putin is widely expected
to win in a first round.
Yavlinsky
does not plan to participate in the presidential elections
Interfax, December 17, 2003
According to Yavlinsky, "As there is no court independent of the presidential
administration, as there are no independent mass media or independent sources
of financing [of the parties], there can be no real political competition
which is the essence of any election."
SPS,
Yabloko Look for a Third Man
By Francesca Mereu, The Moscow Times, December 17, 2003
Putting their failed State Duma bids behind them, the
Union of Right Forces, or SPS, and Yabloko are struggling to unite to push
forward a single candidate for the March 14 presidential election.
The
Race Is On For the Kremlin
By Caroline McGregor, The Moscow Times, December 17, 2003
Whether there will be a democratic candidate in the race is still an
open question, since parties outside the Duma have less than a month after
they name a candidate to gather 2 million supporting signatures. The deadline
for submitting them is Jan. 28.
Who
Is Mr. Putin: Successor or Reformer?
By Alexei Pankin, The Moscow Times, December 16, 2003
Television coverage of the election was not objective and the government
machine once more played its part, yet because the outcome was guaranteed
by Putin's popularity, this election was marred by far fewer excesses
than in years past.
YABLOKO
to determine the format of its participation in the presidential
elections on December 19-20
RIA "Novosti", December 16, 2003
Earlier, Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky spoke about the talks
with the Union of Right-Wing Forces on the nomination of a single
candidate. The presidential elections are scheduled for March 14.
Liberals
Got to Get Their Act Together
Editorial, The Moscow Times, December 15, 2003
The evidence is that a large section of the liberal-minded electorate
chose either not to vote at all or voted against all, because they were
so disillusioned or disgusted with the spinelessness and vacillation of
the two parties. The liberal electorate according to various estimates
is 15 percent to 20 percent.
Liberals
Face Tough Trade-Off in Duma
By Caroline McGregor and Oksana Yablokova, The Moscow Times, December 15, 2003
The seven deputies from the Union of Right Forces and
Yabloko know they have
to
fight for influence in a State Duma where they are massively outnumbered.
In
deciding which alliances are in their interest, they face a tough trade-off
between pragmatism and principles.
Today
saw the launch of the presidential election campaign in Russia
RIA Novosti, December 11, 2003
Potential presidential candidates can start the nomination procedure
today. Parties must nominate a candidate at their congresses no later
than 25 days after the beginning of the election campaign. Russian citizens
can nominate candidates themselves by forming initiative support groups.
Talk
Persists Over Russian Amendment
By Vladimir Isachenkov, Associated Press, December 13, 2003
" With such a majority, Putin will do whatever he wants,"
said Grigory Yavlinsky, the leader of the liberal Yabloko faction,
which failed to win the votes to get into parliament.
The
Right-Wing Start Negotiating Integration
RIA "OREANDA", December 10, 2003
The list of presidential contenders and coalition members is rather
large. Yabloko's leader Grigory Yavlinsky expressed his plans to
enroll Mikhail Gorbachev for the coalition and exclude Mikhail Khodorkovsky
from possible presidential nominees.
YABLOKO
begins negotiations on a single candidate for the presidential elections
By Natalia Panshina, ITAR-TASS, December 9, 2003
YABLOKO has begun negotiations with democratic forces on the nomination
of a single candidate for the president elections in 2004, said
the YABLOKO leader Grigory Yavlinsky at a press conference on Tuesday.
YABLOKO
conducts negotiations with the democratic parties on proposing a
single candidate at the presidential elections
Interfax, December 9, 2003
"It will be important for our party to participate in the forthcoming
presidential elections," added Ivanenko.
Yabloko
to participate in presidential elections
RIA-Novosti, November 5, 2003
The Yabloko party has decided to participate in the impending presidential
elections in Russia, said Yabloko's leader Grigory Yavlinsky on
Wednesday.
Russia
Enters Election Season Split Over Future of Capitalism
By Peter Baker, Washington Post, November 8, 2003
On the anniversary of the 1917 Bolshevik
Revolution, Russia formally opened its parliamentary election season Friday
amid a vigorous debate about the future of capitalism in this country in
transition.
Putin
Rejects Revoking Yukos Licenses
By Peter Baker, Washington Post, November 6, 2003
"I have strong doubts that such actions would be appropriate,"
Putin added about the licensing threat.
Putin's
Reign of Fear
By Vladimir Gusinsky, The Moscow Times, November 10, 2003
If the Russian elite does not overcome its fear, Putin will tighten
the screws. The regime will be entrenched for years, even if someone
else is in charge.
Putin's
political rating remains high - poll
Interfax, November 2, 2003
VTSIOM-A polled 1,600 people in 40 regions and 100 populated areas
on its own initiative from October 24 to 28.
Vladimir Lukin: "We Are Not Inferior To Others. We Have A
Distinct History"
By Nairi Hovsepyan, Novoye Vremya (New Times), May 2003
You
know that revolution has a dual nature. It is not only a bloody, dramatic and romantic upheaval
linked with symbolic actions, often destructive. It is also a renewal of society when each cell
begins to live in a new way.
Veshnyakov:
Freedom of Speech in a Labyrinth
Interview with Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission Alexander Veshnyakov
By Anna Feofilaktova, Moskovsky Komsomolets, April 25, 2003
Russia's journalists are in a panic: fairly soon,
the sight of newspapers or televisions being shut down could become
commonplace. The Central Electoral Commission (CEC), the Media Ministry
and finally the courts would merely have to decide whether journalists
were not objective in their coverage of a certain presidential or
parliamentary candidate or were praising another candidate too much.
Duma
Eyes Election Violations
By Nabi Abdullaev, The Moscow Times, March 26, 2003
With parliamentary and presidential elections looming,
the State Duma
passed in the first reading Friday a raft of amendments that toughen
penalties for electoral violations by individuals and the media.
Duma
to silence mass media before elections
By Marina Sokolovskaya, Natalia Rostova, gazeta.ru, March 24, 2003
The State Duma has given initial approval to a presidential
draft law that makes amendments to legislation governing the activity
of media outlets during election campaigns. The deputies, however,
have ignored the concerns expressed by the media over the draft
law.
Yavlinsky Will Go His Own Way
By Bulat Stolyarov, Vitaly Ivanov, Vedomosti, January 27, 2003
Yabloko sponsors have failed to persuade Grigory Yavlinsky that his party and the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) should combine their candidate lists for the parliamentary elections.
YABLOKO* Will Not Roll Towards the SPS
By Vladimir Ignatov, Trud, January 30, 2003
- It is difficult for the leaders of both the parties to find an acceptable coalition formula. YABLOKO's active voters remember only too well Gaidar's "shock therapy" and don't want to hear about the considered culprit Chubais.
YABLOKO Does Not Sell Itself
By Anastasia Matveyeva, Gazeta, January 29, 2003
As Gazeta have already reported before, today the idea of a coalition between the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) and Yabloko can be forgotten.. Yesterday, on January 28, [Yabloko Leaders] Grigory Yavlinsky and Sergei Ivanenko forwarded to [SPS leaders] Boris Nemtsov and Irina Khakamada a letter, saying the SPS's proposals were unacceptable for Yabloko. The long-awaited meeting of the leaders of the two parties, scheduled for Wednesday, will not take place.
SPS and YABLOKO parties are too different to do Duma election deal
Ekho Moskvy, January 29, 2003
YABLOKO will not merge with the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) and will not form a joint list of candidates with the party in the run-up to the December 2003 parliamentary elections, the Deputy Head of YABLOKO faction in the State Duma, Sergey Ivanenko, said on Ekho Moskvy radio.
Liberals see no future for the parties on the right
By Ksenia Solyanskaya, gazeta.ru, January 29, 2003
After evaluating the prospects of the right of centre in the impending elections, liberals from the Yabloko Party announced that their leader Grigory Yavlinsky would not attend a Wednesday meeting with Boris Nemtsov. It looks as if Yabloko politicians believe they will get enough seats in the Duma, while the party of Chubais, Nemtsov and Khakamada will get none.
No Yabloko-SPS Coalition in Polls
The Moscow Times, January 30, 2003
The country's top liberal parties, Yabloko and the Union of Right
Forces, or SPS, will not run together in upcoming parliamentary elections,
an SPS leader said Wednesday.
There Are Two Political Forces in Russia: the Communists and Putin
An interview with Viktor Militaryov, President of the Development Institute Foundation., Konservator No. 1, January 17, 2003
At present, there are two political forces in Russia: the Communist Party
and Putin. Moreover, people seem not to perceive any fundamental difference between the
two. Most people view them as representing their interests, aimed at improving their
lives as soon as possible. People hope for a better standard of living and are becoming
more indifferent to oligarchs, and believe in a stronger state.
Yabloko and the SPS are of each other as Maskhadov and Putin
By Anastasiya Matveeva, Gazeta, January 24, 2003
Everybody can forget the idea of a merger between Yabloko and the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS).
Yabloko, led by Grigory Yavlinsky, has issued a firm "no" to an offer from the SPS, delivered via some business
leaders. In other words, next week's meeting between Yavlinsky and SPS leader Boris Nemtsov, dedicated to
the merger issue, will probably be pointless.
Yavlinsky Receives an Offer to Compete with the President
By Andrey Savitsky, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, January 24, 2003
Talks on a merger between Yabloko and the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) have reached a crescendo. We have learned the gist of some carefully- concealed proposals for a compromise merger between the SPS and Yabloko. In brief, the unification plan consists of the following. In the Duma elections the two parties would form a single bloc, with a common list of candidates.
Nemtsov Would Like to Unite with Yavlinsky
The National Information Group, January 22, 2003
The leader of the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) Boris Nemtsov confirmed that he had forwarded to the leader of YABLOKO Grigory Yavlinsky his proposals on a possible union between the two parties for participation in parliamentary and presidential elections. "Our proposals were forwarded to Yavlinsky via an influential intermediary," noted Boris Nemtsov in an interview with Interfax on Wednesday.
TV
Channel Did Not Like Its Viewers
Moskovski Komsomolets, by Alexander Minkin, December
24, 2002
"Itogi" is repeated on Monday morning. I
wanted to see if the interview had been shortened
[in the Monday broadcast], as Yavlinsky spoke very
sharply about the leaders of the Union of Right-Wing
Forces (SPS), on criminal privatisation and electricity
sector reform. Most importantly Kiselyov (anchor and
author of "Itogi") conducted the poll among
viewers in a live broadcast and obtained a result
, which surprised him, was bad for the SPS and disastrous
for Nemtsov.
But Yavlinsky Is the Best:
Aliance Media, December 10, 2002
Most of those polled by the Echo Moskvi radio station said that they
would prefer to see Grigory Yavlinsky as a single candidate from the
democratic forces [at presidential elections 2004], rather than Boris
Nemtsov.
Freedom or Property?
"Svobodni Kurs" (Free Course), Barnaul, December 12, 2002
Interview with Grigory Yavlinsky, by Elena Fyodorinova and Dmitri Negreev
At the request of "Svobodni Kurs" the leader of YABLOKO Grigory
Yavlinsky shared with us his forecasts for the coming year.
Nemtsov
is convinced of the success of the "SPS+YABLOKO"
bloc at the elections to St. Petersburg Legislative
Assembly
Alliance Media, December 3,
2002
The "SPS+YABLOKO"
bloc will succeed at the elections to St. Petersburg
Legislative Assembly of the third convocation. Such
a statement was made by deputy of the State Duma of
the RF Boris Nemtsov at a press conference in the
Rosbalt information agency. The leader of the Union
of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) noted that he had come
to St. Petersburg to support his comrades at the elections
to the Legislative Assembly." " YABLOKO
and SPS has created such a powerful coalition for
the first time in Russia's history, and the victory
of this bloc, which aims to make St. Petersburg a
comfortable and European city, is important for all
democrats," added Nemtsov. However, at present,
noted Nemtsov, we are "observing a tough election
campaign where the rules are not respected."
Field
of Miracles
Konservator, By Sergei Stepanov, November 29, 2002
Alexei Arbatov, member of the State Duma commission
for reviewing federal budget expenditures allotted
to defence and security issues of the Russian Federation,
told us about the specifics of the formation of the
"budget of war".
Kremlin
Has a Bill on Firing Governors
The Moscow Times, by Andrei Zolotov Jr., October 8,
2002
Contrary to what some see as a friendlier phase in
President Vladimir Putin's relationship with the governors,
the Kremlin is cobbling together plans to strengthen
its grip on the regional powers.
Speech
of the First Deputy head of the YABLOKO faction of
the State Duma Sergei Ivanenko during discussions
of the draft law on the ban on referendums in the
year of elections to the State Duma and presidential
elections
The State Duma of the RF
September 18, 2002.
A
Single Presidential Candidate from the Right Wing?
Argumenty i Fakty. August 14, 2002
As it should be, two years before the next presidential
election, the campaign teams of leading The idea to
nominate a single right-wing presidential candidate,
which Boris Nemtsov proposed to his colleagues two
months ago, caused a great stir. Although the politicians
soon departed for their summer vacation, the idea
floated by the Union of Right-Wing Forces faction
has taken on a life of its own. It was recently the
topic of an on-line poll on the mail.ru website.
Two
Different Things
Trud, July 19, 2002
The Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) is prone to sudden
new ideas. Petr Kutcherenko, a member of the SPS national
political council and leader of the SPS youth wing,
has proposed asking Boris Yeltsin to head the democratic
bloc during the parliamentary elections scheduled
for December 2003.
YABLOKO
AND THE VACUUM
No merger or alliance for the Union of Right-Wing
Forces and Yabloko
Vek No. 22, by Andrei Ryabov. July 12, 2002
The latest round of talks about campaign cooperation
between the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) and Yabloko
has led to much discussion about the form of this
cooperation - from joint support for candidates in
single-mandate districts to all the democratic parties
uniting behind one presidential candidate. As in previous
years, there is a marked level of scepticism about
the possibility of a pre-election alliance between
these parties.
Chubais
and Kirienko to Oust Putin
Gazeta.ru, by Elena Rudneva. June 27, 2002.
The leader of YABLOKO, Grigory Yavlinsky, issued this
statement. According to Yavlinsky, he planned to have
a meeting on Monday with the President to "discuss
this threat".
YABLOKO
and the Union of Right-Wing Forces to Agree in Autumn
Kommersant, July 6, 2002. By Syuzanna Farizova
On July 5, a meeting of the united political council
of the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) and Yabloko
was held in the Duma. After a debate that lasted two
hours, the two democratic parties decided to run in
the 2003 parliamentary election separately but coordinate
their lists of candidates in single-mandate districts.
The main issue forthe parties - the nomination of
a single candidate in the 2004 presidential election
- was not decided.
Yabloko
to Team Up With SPS For Vote
Oksana Yablokova. The Moscow Times, July 8, 2002.
Yabloko and the Union of Right Forces, the country's
two main liberal parties, announced Friday that they
will work out a joint political platform for backing
a single "democratic" candidate in the next
presidential election, in 2004.
Nemtsov
Puts Everything at Stake and Yavlinsky Sets His Sights
on Becoming a Minister
By Alexander Budverg. Moskovsky Komsomolets, June
20, 2002
On Friday morning, a mini-conference of the "most
bourgeois" party - the Union of Right-Wing Forces
(SPS) - will open at a luxury hotel in central Moscow.
This will be a mini-conference because formally this
party gathering is called the council of the party.
Representatives of all the regions, all the members
of the Duma faction, and all the leaders will be present.
The SPS leader Boris Nemtsov is going to propose two
major innovations, which are supposed to change not
only the SPS, but the entire right-wing opposition.
The
Union of Right-Wing Forces to Determine Next President
By Anastasiya Matveeva and Andrei Reut. Gazeta,
June 20, 2002
Boris Nemtsov, leader of the Union of Right-Wing Forces
(SPS), proposes that all democratic forces agree to
back one candidate for president after the parliamentary
election in 2003. The formula is simple. Each party
nominates its own candidate. The Duma election shows
who has won. All democratic forces support the candidate
whose party gathered the most votes, even if they
actually dislike that particular candidate. |
