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Igor Artemyev
to contest the results of the gubernatorial elections in
St Petersburg
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Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and
Chairman of the Political Council of the St Petersburg branch
of Yabloko, Igor Artemyev, plans to contest the results
of the gubernatorial elections in St.Petersburg. He made
this announcement to journalists early on May 15, 2000 after
the results of the elections had been pronounced.
According to preliminary data, the acting head of St Petersburg
Vladimir Yakovlev won a convincing victory at the gubernatorial
elections on Sunday. He obtained 72.2% of the votes. Artemyev,
who participated in the race as a single candidate from
Yabloko and the Union of Right-Wing Forces came second with
17.68% of votes.
According to Artemyev, a video with distorted information
on the procedure and order of the forthcoming voting was
incessantly repeated on St. Petersburg television over the
past two weeks. In addition, according to Artemyev’s data,
leaflets where he “allegedly called on citizens not to participate
in the elections" were distributed all over the city two
days prior to the elections. Artemyev thinks that these
facts “should be investigated”. He said that Yabloko lawyers
“are already preparing corresponding appeals to the Public
Prosecutor’s office and courts.
” Artemyev also thinks that once the detected violations
have been investigated the elections may be invalidated.
“In any case, we will dispute them,” added Artemyev.
Based on Interfax reports
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Sergei
Ivanenko: The union between the SPS and Yabloko was a correct
step: the strategy targeted at uniting all democratic forces
will be continued
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"The results of the gubernatorial elections in St Petersburg
confirmed that the decision of the SPS and Yabloko to form
a union was the right step.
The strategy of uniting all democratic forces will be continued,”
stated Deputy Head of the Yabloko faction Sergei Ivanenko
in an interview with journalists on May 15, 2000.
“The results obtained by Igor Artemyev at these elections
are considerably better than the results obtained by Yabloko
at parliamentary and presidential elections,” stressed Sergei
Ivanenko.
He also noted that “if such a decision had been adopted
earlier, Artemyev’s results might have been even better”.
“At the same time unfortunately we have to admit that electoral
turnout for the St Petersburg gubernatorial elections was
low. This demonstrates that people do not believe that life
can be improved.”
According to Sergei Ivanenko, “when the turnout is low,
the communists who actively supported the current governor
are the best organised part of the electorate and their
influence on the results of the voting was decisive.”
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Vladimir Lukin
expresses his concern that due to the actions of the authorities,
dissenting mass media may simply disappear
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Deputy Speaker of the State Duma (the Yabloko faction)
thinks that the search in the Media-Most office and attack
on the Novaya Gazeta journalist are elements of one and
the same chain.
According to Vladimir Lukin: “It would not be right to
think that these are separate incidents, there have been
too many such separate cases.”
“The chain of incidents begins to look more like a purposeful
strategy,” noted Vladimir Lukin. In an interview with Novaya
Gazeta, published on May 15, he expressed his view that
all these incidents may represent simply revenge against
these mass media by the authorities.
Vladimir Lukin also said that: “if the authorities have
become seriously concerned with the mass media, then … the
work will be carried out through a carrot and stick approach,
overt bribery or threats”. Consequently, the dissenting
mass media will simply disappear or will become the mere
puppet spokesmen of the authorities and oligarchs,” stressed
Vladimir Lukin.
He also noted that “we would like to think that this terrible
nightmare will never happen.”
Based on Interfax reports
See also
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Igor
Artemyev (the Yabloko faction) believes that reforms of
the new administrative division of the country are being
prepared in Russia
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According to the Deputy of the State Duma and a candidate
for post of governor of St Petersburg, Igor Artemyev, a
reform of the new administrative division of the country
has been prepared in Russia. He made this statement in a
speech at his electoral district (on May 14) with regards
the presidential decree signed on May 13, 2000, on introducing
the institute of plenipotentiary representatives of the
head of the state in federal districts.
According to Artemyev, if “this implies a reform of the
administrative presidential apparatus, it is not very important
how it is done and how the presidential representatives
in the regions will build their work.” However, added Artemyev,
if “this implies a change in the territorial-administrative
division of the country is in question, it can only be sanctioned
by amendments to the Constitution of the RF”. Artemyev recommended
in-depth study of the Decree.
Based on Interfax reports
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Sergei
Ivanenko: Most deputies of the Yabloko faction will not
support the candidacy of Mikhail Kasyanov
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Most deputies of the Yabloko faction will not support
the candidacy of Mikhail Kasyanov for the post of Prime
Minister.
After a meeting of the members of the Yabloko faction
with Mikhail Kasyanov on May 15, Sergei Ivanenko told the
journalists that “we have still not found sufficient reasons
to support Mikhail Kasyanov's candidacy for head of the
Government”.
At the same time Sergei Ivanenko noted that the newly
elected President had the right to propose a candidate of
his choice for the post of Prime Minister.
According to the representative of the Yabloko faction,
today the deputies did not manage to obtain “clear answers”
from the candidate on the post of Prime Minister on the
future economic policy of the Cabinet and interaction of
the authorities with the mass media, as well as about “corruption
in the government”.
Sergei Ivanenko also said that Mikhail Kasyanov had admitted
that “there is corruption in the government”. Ex-Finance
Minister and member of the Yabloko faction, Mikhail Zadornov,
said that he would not support the candidacy of Mikhail
Kasyanov.
“Personally I will vote against him,” said Mikhail Zadornov
to journalists on May 15 after the meeting of the Yabloko
faction with the candidate for Prime Minister.
In his turn, Deputy Speaker of the State Duma from the
Yabloko faction Vladimir Lukin informed journalists that
yet he had personally not taken a final decision; he called
Mikhail Kasyanov “a highly skilled economist”.
But, according to Lukin, the post of Prime Minister is
more political than an economic post. “In terms of the questions
that we asked Mikhail Kasyanov today, they were the same
as the ones that we ask the head of state and refer to power
in general,” said Vladimir Lukin. He also stressed that
the deputies from Yabloko worry about the “chain reaction
that has swept through the mass media, which demonstrates
that have been either directly or indirectly influenced”.
Based on Interfax reports
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