Press Release, 17.04.2015

Viktor Grin, Deputy Public Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, cancelled the decision on closing of the criminal case on election fraud in the Moscow region adopted in the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Moscow Region. Now the Investigative Committee can start investigation of the criminal case on rigging of the votes during elections to Zhukovsky Municipal Council, on 14 September, 2014. Public Prosecutor General’s decision was taken on 3 April, 2015, but YABLOKO received information on this decision only today.

Initially, the Investigative Committee refused to open a criminal case, despite the fact that representatives of YABLOKO and civil activists presented irrefutable evidence of fraud by providing certified copies of protocols of the vote that did not correspond to the data in the central election data system. YABLOKO demanded to cancel the decision on the refusal to institute criminal proceedings. On 24 March this decision was cancelled. The investigator ordered an additional examination of the case.

The very next day the investigator Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on the election fraud. He considered proven that the protocols “had inaccurate information on the number of votes for political parties and candidates”, and “the signatures of the members of the electoral commission were forged”.

However, on 27 March 27, Deputy Public Prosecutor of the Moscow Region closed the criminal proceedings. However, after an appeal, Public Prosecutor General recognized the legitimacy of initiation of the proceedings.

Vladimir Churov, head of the Central Electoral Commission, ordered Chairman of the Moscow Region Electoral Commission to conduct investigation on elections in Zhukovsky. However, the working group did not find any serious violations in the election, only dismissed Dmitry Manin, who from January 2014 to April 2015 was the chairman of Zhukovsky Territorial Electoral Commission. Also later Manin resigned from his post of Deputy Mayor of Zhukovsky.

On the threashold Sergei Mitrokhin published an article on the election fraud in Zhukovsky.

However, lawlessness in the elections in the Moscow region has been going on. Candidates from the YABLOKO are again removed from the race.