Press Release, August 1, 2013

The Klimovsk City Court has annulled the decision of the electoral commission to register YABLOKO’s candidate for the head of the Klimovsk city, Moscow Region. YABLOKO nominated Alexander Gunko, leader of the Moscow Region branch of YABLOKO, to run in the election. YABLOKO’s nominee’s registration was challenged in court by Gunko’s rival Pavel Laptev representing the Just Cause party.

It turned out that Pavel Laptev, a self-nominated candidate from the Just Cause party and Deputy Chairman of the Council of Deputies of Klimovsk, found “gross errors” in Gunko’s documents and he hoped that these “errors” would enable him to prevent Gunko from running at the election from YABLOKO.

In reality Laptev indicated some things that may not be considered even as flaws. “In my documents, I indicated that I have higher education, and it should be stated like higher-professional. A copy of my passport was not submitted in full: without the copy of the first page running that this is a “passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation”, therefore, [Laptev] concluded that the fact of my citizenship was not proved,” Gunko said. (Ed. Normally citizenship is indicated on the second page; whereas the first page is regarded as a passport cover).

Alexander Gun’ko assesses this as a fight against the opposition. “Laptev is a former United Russia member and his assignment in the election campaign is oust all the competitors from the election,” Gunko said. The leader of the Moscow Region YABLOKO is going to appeal the decision to a higher court.

YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin expressed his indignation with the decision of the Klimovsk City Court: “A spoiler candidate has been trying to save the present government from a strong competitor. I hope that Alexander Gunko will be able to restore his registration,” Mitrokhin said.