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NTV channel, October 7, 12002, 10.00 p.m.

Grigory Yavlinsky: The twelve per cent barrier is preparing the grounds for a nationwide crisis.

Interview with Grigory Yavlinsky

Anchor: We shall discuss the main political news of the day with the leader of YABLOKO Grigory Yavlinsky. Good evening, Grigory Alexeevich.

Yavlinsky: Good evening.

Anchor: In your opinion, what is the goal of the new election initiative of United Russia, who will be hit and who will profit?

Yavlinsky: I think that it has missed the target for the time being. Different political initiatives arise in the State Duma, and this is another disservice to our President.

We have experienced elections in Vladivostok, Nizhni Novgorod and Krasnoyarsk. If the crux of the idea is to simply make the electoral system stop functioning, create a single party system and close the question about democracy in Russia, the initiative hits this goal. But I think that this will not happen.

Anchor: But nevertheless if the situation develops in this way and this attempt does not fail and develops further, will it possible to hold any further negotiations on the percentage threshold? Say, ten or seven per cent, etc., instead of 12%?

Yavlinsky: You may know a phase "negations are out of place here". This is not a question of negotiations. The voter will be distracted from elections even more than now. He will simply stop voting. And this will be a national crisis, as there are no other means today to resolve the problem of power in accordance with our Constitution. The people from Unity hooked up with the RF Communist Party, or rather with the previous version of the latter, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union which really was a single party in the country. In this sense, and in many other, the Unity is an affiliate of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in terms of structure and its artificial way foundation. There will be two factions of one party in the Duma. In this sense this will really be "United Russia”.

Anchor: Does this mean that the communists have forgotten how they were treated not so long ago, when they were deprived of Duma portfolios [Ed. posts of heads of Duma committees]?

Yavlinsky: First they left other factions without portfolios and then were treated in a similar manner This kind of thing happens if you hook up with the person handing out portfolios. You are close to losing your portfolio . But I think this issue will not be voted on, as this disservice is simply senseless.

See also:
State Duma Elections 2003

NTV channel, October 7, 12002, 10.00 p.m.

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