Dr Grigory Alekseevich Yavlinsky is an elected member of the Russian State Duma (parliament) and a former Russian presidential candidate. He is the co-founder and chairman of both the Yabloko Party and its Duma faction. He also serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Center for Economic and Political Research (EPIcenter), a private, non-governmental research institution based in Moscow.

Throughout the decade, Dr Yavlinsky has been at the heart of Russia’s democratic and economic transitions. Dr Yavlinsky formed the Yabloko bloc in 1993 to be a leading democratic alternative to the current Russian government.

In the December 1993 Duma elections, Yabloko earned 25 seats in parliament. In the 1995 Duma elections, Yabloko was one of four parties out of the 43 competitors to be elected to the Duma, when it nearly doubled its size to 46 deputies. In the 1999 Duma elections Yabloko obtained 22 seats in parliament.

Under Dr Yavlinsky’s leadership, Yabloko has made principled stands endorsing real economic reforms, opposing the war in Chechnya, and campaigning against corruption in Russia society.

In 1996, Dr. Yavlinsky ran for President of Russia on a similar platform of liberal opposition to the Yeltsin government. He came fourth with over 5.5 million votes.

In 2000, he ran for presidency again, coming third after Vladimir Putin and Gennady Zyuganov.

Prior to election to the Duma, Dr. Yavlinsky gained international fame in 1990 as the co-author of the liberal economic plan the "500 Days Programme", which advocated a way for the Soviet Union to overhaul its economic and political institutions.

In 1990, Dr. Yavlinsky served in the first democratic Russian government as Deputy Prime Minister.

After the coup in August 1991, Dr.Yavlinsky became a member of the Political Advisory Council to the President of the USSR.

Also in 1991, Dr Yavlinsky, working with a team of leading international scholars, participated in preparations for the G-7 summit in London, where he lobbied for Soviet economic reform and international assistance for the Soviet transition. He then led the Soviet Delegation at annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank.

In 1992, Dr. Yavlinsky and a team from EPIcenter, decided to put their economic theories into practice by devising and implementing a reform programme for the economy of Nizhni Novgorod, Russia’s third largest city. Dr.Yavlinsky was the first Russian economist to write a liberal economic plan for Russia, well-known as the "500 Days Programme" (1990).

His other achievements include: the plan for co-operation of Russia with western countries, the IMF and the World Bank, "The Grand Bargain" (1991), the Agreement on Free Trade and Economic Cooperation between the Former Soviet Union Countries (1991). In the summer of 1992, he wrote and put into practice the liberal economic reform programme for Russia’s regions, "Nizhni Novgorod Prologue – Reforms from Below".

He founded the liberal democratic party, "Yabloko" party, whose programme is founded on the goal of Russia’s admission into the European economic, political and legal area.

The Yabloko party has been elected to the State Duma (parliament) three times. Dr Yavlinsky has laid down and published the principles of the economics of Russia’s spontaneous economic development as well as the political economy of the new social agreement on developing an open society, democracy and market economy.

As a trained economist, Dr. Yavlinsky has written dozens of books and articles, including: Incentive and Institutions.The Transition to a Market Economy in Russia (Princeton University Press,2000), The Russian Economy: the Heritage and Possibilities (1995), Laissez-Faire versus Policy-Led Transformation: Lessons of the Economic Reforms in Russia (1994), and The Grand Bargain (1991). Dr. Yavlinsky has also published editorials in the New York Times, Financial Times, and other werstern newspapers. Dr. Yavlinsky was born in 1952 in Lvov, Ukraine. He was educated at the Plekhanov Moscow Institute of the National Economy (degree, 1973; Ph.D. in Economics, 1978).

Dr Yavlinsky and his family live in Moscow.

Grigory Yavlinsky: Russia is experiencing a toughest system crisis
Press release, September 7, 2003
..."the crisis of lagging behind" - manifested in the quality of life, freedoms and liberties, as well as the state building and its directions.

YABLOKO's Congress discusses the electoral programme of the party
Press release, September 7, 2003
On Saturday YABLOKO members voted for the list of candidates for the federal and regional lists, as well as a list for single-mandate electoral districts proposed by the party for the parliamentary elections.

Yavlinsky thinks that YABLOKO will manage to make it into the State Duma
Press release, September 7, 2003
At the briefing where the leaders of the party summed up the results of the 11th congress of the party held Saturday-Sunday in Moscow, Yavlinsky explained that the final results would depend on how open and honest the election campaign would be, as well as on the political situation in the country.

YABLOKO may not support the draft federal budget in the first reading
Rosbalt, September 4, 2003
Yavlinsky said that a distribution, where 62% of the funds remain with the federal center, while the regions obtain only 38% of the funds is unjust.

Reforms that corrupted Russia
By Grigory Yavlinsky, Financial Times (UK), September 3, 2003
In those years two Marxist dogmas, albeit disguised in liberal phraseology, still shaped economic policy. The first was...

Grigory Yavlinsky: "It is impossible to create a real opposition in Russia today."
Moskovsky Komsomolets, September 2, 2003
By the way, there is a big difference between business and economics. Business is the ability to make money. And economics is a science on how to create the well-being of a country.

The YABLOKO party will conduct the election campaign honestly and within the framework of the law, but is not going to sign the "Elections 2003" agreement
Press release, August 21, 2003
"The Russian Democratic Party YABLOKO has always observed and will always comply with Russian legislation in all its actions."

War Between the State and Oligarchs Is Destructive for Russia
Interview with Grigory Yavlinsky, La Stampa, July 22, 2003
...The medicine turned out to be more dangerous than the illness...

To the Constitutional Court from YABLOKO
Selskaya Zhizn, July 17, 2003
This regards the problem that concerns most of our readers - pensions that render it impossbile to live a dignified life.

Stagnation and Profanation
By Natalia Rozhkova, Vremya Novostei, June 23, 2003
The Yabloko thinks it is possible to combine conscription with contractors for only one or two years while the reform is being carried out.

No-Confidence Motion in the Cabinet: After the Discussion
Commentary by Grigory Yavlinsky, Special for the web-site, June 19, 2003
It was important to say that a system of serious backwardness and demodernisation had developed in the country. It was important to say that both economy and history do not follow the Regulations of the Duma; that today we had to set the grounds for positive developments in the future.

Campaign Against the "Russian White House" Begins
Interview with Grigory Yavlinsky by Dmitry Chernov, Vremya MN, June 11, 2003
Everybody knows that social policy is based first of all on economic policy. Government proposals on the economic policy for next year are clear to us in general, as their proposals on the budget for 2004 have been submitted to the Duma. Whatever the Cabinet promises us now, this would not correspond to the real situation, as the economic base the Cabinet is going to reflect in the budget for the coming year is such that many of their promises have already turned into mere words today.

Grigory Yavlinsky explains his stance on the vote of no-confidence in the Cabinet
Interview with Grigory Yavlinsky by Andrei Shariy, Radio Liberty, June 11, 2003
"...our possibilities are extremely limited. But it is our duty to realise them to the full."

Grigory Yavlinsky called for an increase in state ecological controls
Vesti Programme, RTR channel, June 5, 2003
In particular, in autumn 2003 YABLOKO is going to submit to the State Duma the Kyoto Protocol for ratification.

YABLOKO determines the directions of Russia's environmental policy and calls on the State Duma to ratify the Kyoto Protocol
Press release, June 5, 2003
In addition to the prospects of ratification and entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol, the participants of the Round Table discussed a range of problems related to Russia’s environmental policy.

Patching Things Up at Putin's Picnic
By Grigory Yavlinsky, The Moscow Times, June 6, 2003.
The top-level meetings held in St. Petersburg last weekend produced positive results for Russia, Europe and the entire world.

To the 50th Anniversary of Radio Free Europe - Radio Liberty
Address by Grigory Yavlinsky to the conference devoted to the 50th Anniversary of Radio Free Europe - Radio Liberty conducted in Prague, on June 6, 2003
It would not be an overstatement to say that RFE/RL is the most reliable source of objective political information about world events and, even more importantly, Russian politics.

Grigory Yavlinsky on the reform of the armed forces in Russia
KM-Novosti, June 2, 2003
The Russian army should be cut by one third. This statement was made today by Grigory Yavlinsky in Rostov-Don.

YABLOKO: the Cabinet should account for its performance to the State Duma.
KM-Novosti, June 2, 2003
...the Russian government has never accounted for its performance for the past three years.

Grigory Yavlinsky: the Cabinet has never accounted for a single issue for the past three years.
RTR television channel, "Vesti", June 2, 2003
The YABLOKO party insists that the government should account for its performance to the State Duma in June.

Visit of Grigory Yavlinsky to Rostov Region
Yuzhni Region, June 2, 2003
... We are going to introduce a large programme for the development of small cities in autumn. We would like to discuss the possibility for such work in Rostov Region and the South Russia...

YABLOKO Decides to Help to Small Cities
By Sergei Andreyev, Komsomolskaya Pravda, June 4, 2003
After St. Petersburg another Russian city is preparing to celebrate its 300th anniversary. This is a small city, Belaya Kalitva, situated in Rostov region. The city was visited by Chairman of the YABLOKO party Grigory Yavlinsky during his trip to Rostov region, when he promised to help with the preparations of the celebrations.

YABLOKO Sets Its Eyes on Foreign, Interior and Foreign Trade Ministries
By Olga Redichkina, Rustem Falyakhov, Gazeta, No. 92, May 2003
However, Yavlinsky is still not ready for a compromise: "We will not exchange our values for positions and appointments."

Grigory Yavlinsky: We Should Not Tolerate This Government Any More
By Sergei Yuriyev, Komsomolskaya Pravda, May 23, 2003
On the threshold of the May bank holidays the YABLOKO party announced its decision to begin collecting signatures among deputies of the State Duma for the vote of no-confidence in the government.

Grigory Yavlinsky Called on the Residents of Perm to Watch Less TV
By Ksenia Veretennikova, Vremya Novostei, May 26, 2003
"We should not imagine anything. We should create such an economy that would survive even under a bad government."

On Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly of the RF for 2003
By Grigory Yavlinsky, Statement, May 16, 2003

YABLOKO Against Monopolists
Delevoi Peterburg, April 15, 2003
According to Yavlinsky, the crux of this approach can be summed up as follows. Owing to constant tariff increases, in particular electricity prices and pressures from rolling blackouts, make the whole sector a debtor of RAO UES; and then privatize the key structures of the housing and communal services sector and the whole infrastructure of the sector in general.

Grigory Yavlinsky: Elections can be such a hassle
RTR, "News of the Week", April 13, 2003
...Russian needs politicians to save human lives. That should be the main political goal in Russia.

The law on the housing and communal services sector reform adopted by the State Duma will have serious consequences for both the population and the sector
Press release, April 9, 2003
...the actions of the government "do not make it possible to restore the housing and communal sector," and, on the contrary lead to "complete destabilization in the housing and communal services sector in the very near future."

MORE EFFECTIVE THAN WAR
By Grigory Yavlinsky, February 9, 2003
Attention! Unfortunately, the version published by Izvestia does not contain some important provisions of the original article and changed some of the key issues in the item. The author was not notified of such changes. We hope that this misunderstanding will never happen again and offer our reader the full version of the text. The abstracts changed by Izvestia are highlighted in bold.

Grigory Yavlinsky: the Iraqi war will not spoil US-Russian ties
BBC Monitoring, Radio Mayak, March 29, 2003
"The USA committed a major political mistake, which is leading to numerous casualties among civilian population and troops. TheYabloko party believes that there was no direct threat from Iraq at the time. Although it was not easy to carry out inspections and disarm Iraq, there was no direct cause for starting the war."

Grigory Yavlinsky: "The President Alone Cannot Control Everything."
Interview with Grigory Yavlinsky, Gazeta, March 25, 2003
Society needs an independent Duma. If we have an imitation Duma instead of a real Duma, and the court and elections, parties and politics are also an imitation, then we may end up with an imitation of presidential power. We should not forget about this.

Chairman of the Russian Democratic Party YABLOKO Grigory Yavlinsky on the military operation against Iraq
Special statement for YABLOKO's web-site, March 20, 2003
...Russia must seek to achieve several objectives.
First of all: to reduce the number of victims, by trying to ensure a termination of the war as soon as possible. Secondly the conflict will end and the situation will revert to a legal framework. This happened several times after the Second World War and the formation of the UN. Our country should preserve its strategic partnership with Europe and the USA.
Finally the third objective...

Grigory Yavlinsky: "Russia should not send a single soldier to the war."
Ekho Moskvi radio station, March 19, 2003
Speaking in an interview with Russian Ekho Moskvy radio on 19 March, Grigory Yavlinsky said a large international contingent should be amassed to bring political and military pressure to bear on Iraq, but that action should stop short of a large-scale military operation. In the same interview, the Yabloko leader also cast doubts on the value of the Chechen referendum, arguing that only a peace conference chaired by the Russian President could alter the situation in the republic.

Grigory Yavlinsky: "Mop-ups, robberies and violence should be stopped."
Interview with Grigory Yavlinsky, "Politbureau" journal, March 17, 2003
The consequences of an unprepared referendum can also bring dangers: they can aggravate contradictions inside the Chechen community: they can play into the hands of the forces interested in civil war.

Yavlinsky proposes applying military-political pressure against Baghdad instead of force
Interfax, March 18, 2003
The leader of YABLOKO Grigory Yavlinsky proposes applying military-political pressure against Saddam Hussein's regime to resolve the Iraqi crisis, instead of sheer force.

Grigory Yavlinsky: Russia will not veto US resolution on Iraq
Rosbalt, March 14, 2003
In the next few days Russia will take "unexpected steps" regarding the situation in Iraq, claims Grigory Yavlinsky, the leader of the YABLOKO party.

Yabloko Party opposes an unprepared referendum in Chechnya
Interfax, March 12, 2003
MOSCOW. March 12 (Interfax) - Yabloko Party leader Grigory Yavlinsky believes that the Chechen referendum has not been fully prepared and that a peace conference with all the warring parties should be held instead.

Grigory Yavlinsky on the reforms in the security agencies and staff reshuffles by the President
TVS channel, News, 11 March 2003
It would be important to understand the problems of these ministries, what was unsatisfactory in their work, what the difficulties were and where they did not perform properly.

Grigory Yavlinsky on the president's reshuffles in the security agencies and the appointment of Deputy Prime Minister Valentina Matviyenko as Presidential Plenipotentiary in the North-Western Federal district, March 11, 2003
I think that the appointments made today by the President clearly demonstrate how the President is establishing his priorities.

Grigory Yavlinsky: Russia's priority in the situation around Iraq should be guarantees of security for the citizens of Russia and the neighbouring regions
Press release, March 6, 2003
Russia's vital interests in the Iraqi conflict lie in guaranteeing security for the citizens of Russia and stability of neighbouring regions, rather than in setting a price for its support for America or in propping up the oil price.

Chechen Referendum Will Solve Nothing
By Grigory Yavlinsky, The Moscow Times, February 20, 2003
It is clearly unrealistic to expect a referendum can be held in just over a month that will foster a political process which will put an end to the bloodshed -- given the existing situation in Chechnya and the time constraints.

More Efficient Than War
By Grigory Yavlinsky, Izvestia, February 11, 2003
Nowadays it is difficult to find a politician in Russia who will not talk about the need to "join Europe". Russia is a European country. I am convinced that if everything goes well, Russia will be a member of all European political, economic and defence structures in 10-15 years. These will be mostly new organisations.

Remembrance of the Feat of Arms Will Spring Eternal
By Grigory Yavlinsky, Krasnaya Zvezda, January 30 , 2003
The previous week according to media reports deputies of the State Duma refused to discuss sending a parliamentary delegation to the celebration of the great battle at the Volga. The discussion fell one vote short. Deputie took three attempts to vote, but still failed to reach agreement on a common position.
"Krasnaya Zvezda" asked Chairman of the Russian Democratic YABLOKO party and the YABLOKO faction in the State Duma Grigory Yavlinsky to comment.

Grigory Yavlinsky: "Dangerous" Iraqi regime must be changed by peaceful means
Interview with Grigory Yavlinsky, RTR television channel, February 3, 2003
Our first point is that Russia should oppose war in Iraq. If there is a war, Russia must do everything possible to minimize the number of casualties, especially among civilians. Another important task for Russia is to contribute to a change of regime in Iraq.

Grigory Yavlinsky on the War in Iraq
By Nikolai Svanidzye, RTR television channel, February 1, 2003
Russia opposes the war with Iraq. If there is a war, Russia should do everything it can to minimize the number of victims, especially civilian casualties. In addition Russia must ensure a change of Iraqi regime. The totalitarian regime is dangerous for us.

To: Boris Nemtsov, Irina Khakamada
Letter from Grigory Yavlinsky and Sergei Ivanenko on SPS' proposals, January 28, 2003
As numerous media, including web-based publications, have already described your proposals in detail, thereby enabling us to learn about them, we no longer see any point in the meeting scheduled at your initiative for January 29, 2003.

US Omnipotence: What Lies Ahead?
World Economic Forum, Discussion Panel (with Grigory Yavlinsky's speech) Saturday 25 January
Panellists:

Alexander Downer, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia
Amre Moussa, Secretary-General, League of Arab States, Cairo
Marwan Jamil Muasher, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Jordan
Grigory A. Yavlinsky, Member of the State Duma; Leader, Russian Democratic Party Yabloko, Russian Federation
Lewis H. Lapham, Editor, Harper's Magazine, USA
Robert Portman, Congressman from Ohio (Republican), USA
Jean-Marie Colombani, Editor, Le Monde, France

Davos 2003. Schedule for Grigory Yavlinsky. "The Russian Issue."
Press Release, January 23, 2003
On January 23-26, 2003, Grigory Yavlinsky will participate in the meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, which this year will be conducted under the slogan "Creating Trust".

Open Letter, January 16, 2003
Most respected Mr. President,
We are concerned about developments in the Republic of Belarus concerning Russian media. Broadcasts of Mayak (Ed. "Beacon"), Yunost (Ed. "Youth"), and Golos Rossii (Ed. "Voice of Russia") that have for many years constituted a key source of information for the citizens of Belarus, have been closed.

Grigory Yavlinsky: RAO UES is responsible for the crisis in the housing and communal services sector
Press Release, January 15, 2003
The leader of the YABLOKO party and its faction in the State Duma Grigory Yavlinsky noted that RAO UES "bears most of the responsibility for the crisis in the housing and communal services sector."

Demodernization
Grigory Yavlinsky
The past few years have been relatively favourable for the Russian economy. Production increased visibly after seven years of recession from 1991 to 1998. In 2000 and 2001 real GDP increased by about 14% and, in view of the anticipated 4% rise in 2002, GDP growth will amount to 19% over three years. People's real incomes and consumer demand increased after a nosedive during the 1998 crisis. The past two years have also been marked by greater investor optimism regarding the export sector and some of the processing industries that compete with imports on the domestic market. For the second year running exports exceeded USD100 billion, yielding a significant trade and balance of payments surplus, which normalized repayment of the foreign debt and ensured a relatively stable national exchange rate.

Yavlinsky: Yabloko can't cooperate with Chubais and Kiriyenko
Interfax, December 23, 2002
MOSCOW. Dec 23 (Interfax) - Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky has named the politicians who, in his opinion, have no role to play in the democratic coalition.

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.

Return of the refugees residing in Ingushetia to Chechnya is inadmissible
Aliance Media, December 10, 2002
The leader of the YABLOKO party Grigory Yavlinsky said that the problem of refugees from Chechnya was discussed at the meeting of the Presidium of the Federal Council of the YABLOKO party. Earlier some human rights activists and journalists had informed the public that the Ingush authorities had made Chechen refugees leave the "Iman" camp. This information was subsequently refuted by Presidential Aid Sergei Yastrzhembsky.

Grigory Yavilnsky: It is up to the President to choose
By Anton Mukhin, "Izvestiya Peterburg", December 6, 2002
On the threashold of the elections to the Legislative Assembly [of St.Petersburg] a rare guest - the leader of YABLOKO Grigory Yavlinsky - visited St. Petersburg and answered the questions of Izvestia's correspondent Anton Mukhin.

Grigory Yavlinsky: YABLOKO learns to be an environmental party
Press Release, December 03, 2002
The meeting between the representatives of environmental organisations from Tomsk and Chelyabinsk regions, Krasnoyarsk Territory and the leaders of the YABLOKO party took place in the State Duma on December 3, 2002. YABLOKO was represented by Chairman of the party Grigory Yavlinsky, as well as deputy chairmen, deputies of the State Duma Sergei Mitrokhin and Igor Artemyev.

Russia Is Not Afraid of NATO expansion
Baltic News Service, Vilnius, December 2, 2002
Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and the leader of the opposition party YABLOKO Grigory Yavlinsky forecasts that after Lithuania enters NATO relationships between Russia and Lithuania will improve.

Housing and Communal Sector Reforms Postponed by Yavlinsky
gazeta.ru, By Marina Sokolovskaya, November 19, 2002

Yavlinsky calls untimely the Moscow conference of supporters of talks with Maskhadov
Interfax, November 9, 2002

President Putin expresses gratitude to Grigory Yavlinsky for his role in the liberation of the hostages
Press Release, October 29, 2002