YABLOKO website threatened with closure
Press Release, January 31, 2012.

Public prosecutor of Moscow requires the YABLOKO party to provide information about the organization, where the web-site server of yabloko.ru is physically located. Investigators are interested in the actual location of the organization, its legal address and contact telephone numbers.

The request of the prosecutor's office was given to the party this morning. Further, the information must be provided to Zamoskvoretskaya Interdistrict Prosecutor's Office as early as 15:00.

The requirements put forward during the audit were launched upon request to the prosecution by the Central Electoral Commission’s chief Vladimir Churov. The latter appealed to the prosecutors after YABLOKO published on its website the so-called "Churov list" - a list of leaders of local electoral commissions, where protocols of voting were falsified or the observers were removed without any reason on the parliamentary elections voting day December 4, 2011...

YABLOKO launched a lawsuit for the votes of other parties stolen at the parliamentary elections
Press Release, January 31, 2012.

...Thus, an observer’s protocol (certified by the Chair of the Precinct Electoral Commission) ran that the Just Russia party obtained 290 votes (201 vote according to the Central Electoral Commission). The discrepancy in votes for Vladimir Zhirinovsky’s LDPR party amounted to 32 votes (142 against 108 votes), 15 votes for the Patriots of Russia (29 against 14 votes), the vote for the Right Cause was worsened by half (from 14 to 7 votes). However, the ruling United Russia improved its total vote (from 506 votes on the protocol of the observer to 651 vote, according to official data of the CEC). The votes for the Communist Party and YABLOKO remained unchanged.

"Probably, the election committee members thought that YABLOKO and the Communist Party can go to courts only if their interests are affected. And they decided to "modify" the results of other parties," said YABLOKO’s lawyers. There are also discrepancies in the numbers of canceled and absentee ballots...

Unidentified persons burnt the office of "Vechrniy Krasnokamsk" weekly published by YABLOKO
Press Release, January 28, 2012.

Fire resulting from an arson fire has completely destroyed the office of "Vechrniy Krasnokamsk" weekly this night. The founder and editor-in-chief of the weekly is Olga Kolokolova, leader of the Perm YABLOKO branch and deputy of the City Council in Krasnokamsk. Olga believes that it is a revenge by Yury Chechyotkin, the city Mayor, for journalists’ investigation into his embezzlement of budget funds allocated for housing repairs in the city...

In April 2011, unknown persons assailants beat Olga Kolokolova’s father – deputy of the Krasnokamsk City Duma Arkady Kolokolov. He helped the crew of the "Riphey-Perm" television company, which investigated the circumstances of the repairs in the TSZh Parkovoi. The contractor hired by the managing company providing services for the house received 4.5 million rubles, but the works were not completed...

In addition, in November 2011, on the eve of the parliamentary elections of December 4, 2011 and the Legislative Assembly of the Perm Area, Svetlana Ivanova, candidate from the YABLOKO party was attacked by an unidentified person. She was hit on the head, the blow broke the frontal bone. She will remain disabled...

January 30, 2012

Grigory Yavlinsky on the situation with voters’ signatures in favour of his registration in the presidential election campaign

Grigory Yavlinsky's Live Journal, January 29, 2012
...Let us make a simple calculation: the share of detected defective (void) signatures that were not included into this category (Code 29) amounted to 16,446 (2.74% of the number of verified signatures totaling 600,000). The rest was 137,492 (22.91%): "Other violations of procedural formalities in filing signature sheets, including signatures of voters whose data were included into signature sheets not in handwriting (electronic photographs certified by authorized representatives).” This means that the main fault found in the signatures by the Central Electoral Commission lying behind their refusal in my registration referred NOT TO THE SIGNATURES, BUT TO “OTHER VIOLATIONS OF PROCEDURAL FORMALITIES IN FILING OF SIGNATURE SHEETS, including signatures of those voters whose data were included into signature sheets not in handwriting (electronic photographs certified by authorized representatives)...

January 27, 2012

Yavlinsky's Presidential Candidature Gets Rejected
LI News Bulletin, Issue 267, January 27, 2012

Days after Yavlinsky's candidature was endorsed by Gorbachev, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) declared 20% of the signatures collected in support of the leader of Yabloko (LI full member) invalid. Commenting on the incident at a news Conference Yavlinsky said: 'I consider the decision of the NEC as politically motivated. They aren't letting me join the race, because they don't want to allow an alternative - political, economic and moral.' He also cautioned that such refusal to allow him to join the race would undermine the vote's legitimacy and could lead to unrest and instability in the country. Grigory Yavlinsky needed to collect and submit at least 2,000,000 votes in order to register since he was nominated by a non-parliamentary party. ALDE-PACE (LI Cooperating Organisation) issued a statement condemning the situation as 'another sign of the limitation of political competition and expression in the country.' The group also expressed concern that the latest developments in Russia severely compromise the possibility for free and fair presidential elections on 4 March 2012.

January 26, 2012

YABLOKO denied opportunity to field presidential candidate: politically motivated move say EU Liberals
ELDR Press Release, January 26, 2012.

Grigory Yavlinsky, former leader of ELDR member party, YABLOKO, has been officially barred from running in the upcoming Russian presidential election. The Central Electoral Commission announced yesterday that Yavlinsky's candidature is invalid as a result of perceived technical irregularities in the way the signatures of support, a requirement for participation in the election, were presented to the Commission.

Commenting on the refusal to accept Yavlinsky's registration for the 4 March election, ELDR Party President, Sir Graham Watson MEP stated, "this is clearly a politically motivated move designed to ensure Vladimir Putin has an easy ride back into the presidency and shows a blatant disregard of democratic principles and international standards for free and fair elections.

It seems that Putin and his cronies have learnt nothing from the protests that have been taking place since last December's parliamentary elections. This is very worrying and undermines the authority and legitimacy of the future Russian president."

Grigory Yavlinsky said that the position taken by the Electoral Commission denies thousands of people the opportunity to express their views freely. "Their refusal means that all the people who do not agree with what has been happening in Russia, the people who want a different perspective - an open, democratic, European and modern perspective - will not be allowed to participate in the elections by means of this political decision"...

ALDE statement on the situation in Russia
Press Release, ALDE PACE, January 25, 2012

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe unanimously condemns the latest developments in Russia which severely compromise the possibility for free and fair presidential elections on 4 March 2012...

YABLOKO leader indignant at the refusal of the Moscow authorities to coordinate the route of the march of February 4
Press Release, January 25, 2012.

YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin expressed his indignation at the refusal of the Moscow authorities to coordinate and give a permission to the march scheduled on February 4. The march continues the actions launched after parliamentary elections of December 4 that had demonstrated unprecedented fraud.

"The decision of the Moscow Mayor’s office provokes tension,” Mitrokhin said. “Neither broad pubic [gathering for the march via Internet] nor we can agree to the route they proposed to us (from the Luzhniki Stadium to the Krimskiy bridge),” he noted...

Picket in favour of registration of Grigory Yavlinsky at presidential elections in Nizhny Novgorod
Press Release, January 25, 2012.

Picket in favour of registration of Grigory Yavlinsky at presidential elections took place at the Teatralnaya square in Nizhny Novgorod on January 23, 2012.

The participants of the action held placards “YABLOKO for Fair Elections!”, “YES to Elections! NO to Churov*!” and “Elections Without Yavlinsky Means Elections Without Choice!”

The picketers chanted “Yavlinsky Is Our President!”, “Honesty to the Central Electoral Commission and the “Magician”** , Go to the Circus!” and “Let elections be fair!”...

Grigory Yavlinsky proposed to St.Petersburg Legislative Assembly to create a commission for investigation of election fraud at elections
Press Release, January 25, 2012.

Grigory Yavlinsky, YABLOKO leader and head of the YABLOKO faction in St.Petersburg Legislative Assembly, proposed to St.Petersburg Legislative Assembly to create a commission for investigation of election fraud at parliamentary elections of December 4, 2011.

19 deputies out of 50 voted for this proposal. The United Russia and the LDPR factions did not participate in the voting. Thus, the decision on creation of such a commission failed...

YABLOKO expects escalation of claims on behalf of Central Electoral Commission after Grigory Yavlinsky was supported by organizational committee of the rally scheduled on February 4
Press Release, January 24, 2012.

YABLOKO does not see anything new in today’s statements by representatives of the Central Electoral Commission that the number of defective signatures give them grounds to refuse Grigory Yavlinsky registration in the presidential election campaign.

Grigory Yavlinsky and other party leaders gave assessments of this decision during press-conference at Interfax yesterday.

However, we expect further escalation of claims on behalf of the Central Electoral Commission after organizational committee of the rally scheduled on February 4 adopted a decision on nominating Grigory Yavlinsky presidential candidate...

Verhofstadt: "Mr Putin, Be aware Spring is coming"
Press Release, ALDE, January 24, 2012

Reacting to news that Grigory Yavlinsky, from the Russian Democratic Party "Yabloko" is unlikely to be allowed to register as a candidate for the Presidency, Guy Verhofstadt, President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) made the following statement:

"By refusing to register Grigory Yavlinsky for the presidential election the Kremlin removes any glimmer of hope for an alternative vision for Russia. The Presidential elections to be held on 4 March 2012 will be another step backwards for democracy in Russia."

"Russian people have demonstrated their disdain for the current regime and are demanding change. New State Duma elections should be held after registration of all opposition political parties. The European Union should reassess EU policy on Russia with the prospect of Putin clinging to power until 2024."

"The President in waiting would be well advised to heed to people's demands.
Mr. Putin, be aware Spring is coming."

Why Putin bars Yavlinsky from presidential election
Sergei Mitrokhin’s blog at the Ekho Moskvi web-site, January 22, 2012.

In the coming days the verdict of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) will be announced: who of the candidates submitting voters’ signatures to the CEC will be registered as presidential candidate. The quality and authenticity of the signatures have nothing to do with this [check up by CEC] and registration. It will be Vladimir Putin who will make the decision on the issue.

My prediction is like this: [oligarch] Mikhail Prokhorov will be registered, and Grigory Yavlinsky not. Why?
We have learned from The New Times, that the evening on December 9, Vladimir Putin telephoned Mikhail Prokhorov and asked him to run for president.
The 9th of December was just the last day of filing the application for the registration. In the evening the CEC gave the names of all those who applied and were registered. Prokhorov was not among them...

Grigory Yavlinsky: the authorities decided that the stability of the ruling group is more important than the stability of the country
Press Release, Video, January 23, 2012.

Presidential candidate from the YABLOKO party Grigory Yavlinsky said that the intention [of the Central Electoral Commission] to refuse to register him in the presidential elections campaign was "purely political" and "did not have anything to do with signatures and their quality."

"Their refusal means that all the people who do not agree with what has been happening in Russia, the people who want a different perspective - an open, democratic, European and modern perspective – will not be allowed to participate in the elections by means of this political decision," Grigory Yavlinsky said at a press conference at Interfax.

This is done for two reasons, Yavlinsky noted, "Vladimir Putin and the present government fear the choice that will be made by the part of citizens tired of stealing, lies and corruption." In addition, “they are afraid that tens of thousands of observers” whom YABLOKO planned to send to the polling stations...

(Archives)

Grigory Yavlinsky: 'Change Is Only Possible If There Is An Alternative'

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, October 12, 2011.

I caught up with Yabloko founder Grigory Yavlinsky, who was in Prague this week to participate in the Forum 2000 conference, for a brief on-the-record chat.

We discussed a range of issues including Vladimir Putin's decision to return to the presidency, the possibility of change in Russia today, and how his strategy of working within the system differs from Boris Nemtsov and other members of the so-called "non-systemic opposition"...

(Archives)

Yavlinsky 2.0

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, September 21, 2011.

Yabloko founder Grigory Yavlinsky, who stepped down as party chairman in 2008 and pretty much disappeared from public life ever since, made a high-profile return to the political stage this month.

He will lead Yabloko's party list in the December 4 Duma elections. He has been getting a surprising amount of media oxygen lately. And with two Kremlin-friendly projects, the pro-business Right Cause and the ostensibly center-left A Just Russia, on the skids, there might just be an opening for him to lead his party into the Duma.

"Indisputably there is one beneficiary that will gain from the [Right Cause] scandal. It is the Yabloko party, the constituency of which may be joined by part of the Right Cause consistency," political analyst Dmitry Orlov told Interfax. "My forecast is that the scandal will result in a certain increase in voter support for Yabloko party which in the future may come very close to clearing the barrier"...

January 23, 2012

Yavlinsky Could Be Rejected From Russia Presidential Poll

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, January 23, 2012.

Russian opposition Yabloko party founder Grigory Yavlinsky could be denied registration as a presidential candidate by Russia’s Central Election Commission...

"This issue is of a political nature, absolutely, and the purpose of [denying registration] is to bar from elections all those people who are discontent with what is happening in Russia today and who would like a different future for Russia -- an open, democratic, European, modern future," Yavlinsky said.

He added that Yabloko plans to register hundreds or even thousands of observers for the election and that is also a reason the Kremlin might refuse to register him.

"This decision is strictly political and it has nothing to do with the signatures or their quality," he said.

YABLOKO to submit to the Central Electoral Commission voters' signatures for Grigory Yavlinsky's registration in the presidential election campaign
Press Release, January 17, 2012.

YABLOKO will submit to the Central Electoral Commission voters' signatures for Grigory Yavlinsky's registration in the presidential election campaign on January 18 at 4 p.m. Files with 2,100,000 voters’ signatures will be transported to the Central Electoral Commission on four minivans. In total YABLOKO’s volunteers managed to collect 2,132,000 voters’ signatures in 25 days only (from December 23 to January 16).

Address of the Central Electoral Commission: Bolshoi Cherkasskiy pereulok 9
Accreditation for journalists: tel +7 495 606-13-25.

Sergei Mitrokhin discussed with US Ambassador Michael McFaul the issue of joint Russian – US ABM system
Press Release, January 17, 2012.

YABLOKO Chairman Sergei Mitrokhin participated in the meeting of representatives of the Russian opposition with new US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul.
“I spoke to Ambassador about the need to continue the dialogue on the problems of joint Russia-US anti-ballistic missile defence initiated by the YABLOKO party in the end of 1990s,” Mitrokhin told the journalists after the meeting...

YABLOKO to create Fund for Donations for provision of elections transparency
Press Release, January 16, 2012.

The YABLOKO party is going to complete creation of a fund for citizens’ donations for organisation of election monitoring and encourages people to become observers on the election day March 4.

"Today we are initiation creation of a special fund, which we are calling the Fund for Promotion of Public Control over Elections", said Sergei Mitrokhin, YABLOKO Chairman, a press conference in the Interfax office on Monday...

YABLOKO collected 2.1 voters signatures for registration of Grigory Yavlinsky in the presidential election campaign
Press Release, January 16, 2012.

2,100,000 people signed up for registration of Grigory Yavlinsky in the presidential election campaign. As expected Grigory Yavlinsky’s electoral head-quarters received large quantity of sheets with signatures these days. Today, on the last day of collection of signatures, the head-quarters will receive about 100,000 signatures.

According to the law, the number of signatures submitted to the Central Electoral Commission should not exceed 2.1 mln. On January 17, the staff of the head-quarters will pass 2.1 mln signatures to the print shop for binding. On January 18 the signatures will be submitted to the Central Electoral Commission...

Mikhail Gorbachev signed up for nomination of Grigory Yavlinsky presidential candidate
Press Release, January 14, 2012.

Ex-President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev signed up for nomination of Grigory Yavlinsky presidential candidate. The sheet with Mikhail Gorbachev's signature was brought by Gorbachev Fund officer to YABLOKO’s head-quarters yesterday...
Collection of signatures for registration in the election campaign began on December 23 and will go through January 15.
As of yesterday, the Grigory Yavlinsky’s electoral head-quarters disposed of 1.7 mln voters’ signatures. YABLOKO activists hope that the remaining 400,000 signatures will be collected in the coming days. YABLOKO attracts volunteers (YABLOKO members and supports, ex-observers at the parliamentary elections and people who left their telephones within the framework of the project "The Glasnost Territory") for collection of signatures. A number of public organisations, including the staff of the Gorbachev Fund, help YABLOKO to collect signatures.

January 13, 2012

YABLOKO collected over 1.7 mln signatures for registration of Grigory Yavlinsky in the presidential elect ion campaign
Press Release, January 13, 2012.

As of today, YABLOKO collected over 1.7 mln signatures for registration of Grigory Yavlinsky in the presidential elect ion campaign. Collection of signatures will go until January 15, sheets with voters’ signatures have to be filed and prepared for dispatch to the Central Electoral Commission on January 18.

YABLOKO activists think that they will manage to collect the remaining 400,000 signatures (as a non-parliamentary party such as YABLOKO has to submit to the Central Electoral Commission 2.1 mln signatures for registration of its candidate in the face). Grigory Yavlinsky’s headquarters call all the supporters of an alternative at presidential elections to focus on the solution of this task...

Members of the Central Electoral Commission representing the YABLOKO party say that commission head should resign
Press Release, January 12, 2012.

Yelena Dubrovina, member of Central Electoral Commission from the YABLOKO party, voted for introduction of the issue of resignation of Vladimir Churov, head of the Central Electoral Commission, into the agenda of the commission. Most of the commission members (including members from the Just Russia and Vladimir Zhirinovsky’s LDPR) voted against this proposal...

Only Yelena Dubrovina from YABLOKO and Eugeni Kolushin from CPRF voted in favour of this proposal. Other 13 commission members, including representative of the Just Russia Sergei Danilyenko and Oleg Lavrov from LDPR voted against this...

Russian citizens collect signatures in nine countries for nomination of Grigory Yavlinsky at March presidential elections
Press Release, January 12, 2012.

Volunteers are collecting signatures for registration of Grigory Yavlinsky as candidate for President of Russia among Russian citizens living or working abroad. Collection of signatures is held in seven European countries, the US and Canada. So far, none of other Russian parties and candidates have attempted to collect signatures of Russian citizens living or working abroad.

Russian citizens working in the UK, France, Germany, Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, USA and Canada wrote to YABLOKO with a proposal to collect signatures among compatriots abroad...

Once again about the lies and legitimacy (to the theory of the issue of the change of the regime)

Grigory Yavlinsky’s Live Journal, January 11, 2012
I am offering you this article without any changes. Today my understanding of the essence of our sociopolitical crisis and programme for its overcoming are virtually the same. These ideas result from long work and much reflection. This is a search for an alternative…

LIES AND LEGITIMACY
...

People take flight

The Russian political regime today, which emerged after 1991 and was formed over the past decade, has still not created a modern state.

As a result, we are witnessing today an unremitting chasm that is deepening and is being transformed into an insurmountable rift between the authorities and the people, the state and society.

This is not a temporary credibility gap, but rather a systematic problem. The high ratings of the country’s leader do not attest to public support for the powers that be. The vast difference in the public trust shown in these individuals and all other state institutions attests to the ultimate instability and fragility of the entire Russian state construct...

Moscow Mayor prohibits rallies at Chistiye Prudi
Press Release, January 11, 2012.

Such a decision by the Moscow authority was announced to the organiser of the rally that have to take place this Saturday and introduce the so-called “Churov List” (Ed. The list includes the names of people engaged in the parliamentary elections fraud). It was planned to conduct the rally by Griboyedov Monument at Chistiye Prudi.
Earlier the bureaucrats had refused to allow a rally at this place under a pretext of paving the square...

January 10, 2012

There Will Be No Second Round in Presidential Elections. Visitors of the Novaya Gazeta web-site chose their President

Novaya Gazeta, January 10, 2012.

On January 3, we asked our web-site visitors: "If the presidential election were held today, whom would you vote for?" And offered to vote for one of the presidential candidates: Vladimir Zhirinovsky's LDPR Chairman, Gennady Zyuganov, the Communist party (CPRF) leader, Dmitry Mezentsev, Governor of the Irkutsk, Sergei Mironov, leader of the Just Russia party, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and YABLOKO leader Grigory Yavlinsky. The poll ended today.

The results were quite expected. Dmitry Mezentsev failed to score even one per cent, also visitors of the Novaya Gazeta web-site did not vest any hopes into the leaders of the parliamentary opposition. The number of votes given in favour of Vladimir Putin (whom the web-site visitors probably voted for asking themselves "Who else?") is also small. Businessman Mikhail Prokhorov has a somewhat higher percentage, and more than half of all the votes by the readers of Novaya Gazeta went to Grigory Yavlinsky. So there [seems to be] no second round...

1.1 mln signatures for nomination of Grigory Yavlinsky for presidential elections collected
Press Release, January 9, 2012.

1.1 mln signatures for nomination of Grigory Yavlinsky for presidential elections collected during Christmas holidays in Russia. YABLOKO’s electoral headquarters expect abrupt rise of the number of signatures after the end of holidays.

In Moscow signatures are collected not only in YABLOKO's office but also by six metro stations...

January 4, 2012

700,000 people put their signatures in favour of nomination of Grigory Yavlinsky to run in the presidential elections campaign
Press Release, January 4, 2012.

700,000 people have already put their signatures in favour of nomination of YABLOKO leader Grigory Yavlinsky to run in the presidential elections campaign. Collection of signatures for registration in the election campaign began on December 23 and will go through January 14.

The Russian law requires for a candidate from a non-parliamentary party to collect and submit by January 18 to the Central Electoral Commission at least 2 million of signatures in favour of his nomination to run in the campaign. Moreover, such a campaign for collection of signatures should be conducted by a party nominating its candidate in at least 40 Russian regions, whereas the number of signatures collected in each of the regions should not exceed 50,000...

YABLOKO's activist injured for investigation of land fraud in the Leningrad region
Press Release, December 30, 2011.

On December 29 at day time, Alexander Senotrusov, YABLOKO's activist fighting against construction of cottages in the natural reserve, was attacked for investigation of land fraud in the Leningrad region. An unidentified person wearing a mask hit Senotrusov on his head knocking him off his feet. The beating continued when Senotrusov was on the ground, the attacker was crying "Here is for Zakhar!" Senotrusov is certain that the man aimed at killing him.
According to Senotrusov, "Zakhar" was the nick name of Yury Zakharchuk, head of municipal settlement Lebyazhenskoye. Senotrusov initiated establishment of a natural reserve which had to protect the coast line of the Gulf of Finland (a traditional recreation place for the local residents) from sale.
Senotrusov conducted at investigation of the fraud with land in the Lomonosov District, the Leningrad region...