Boris Vishnevsky’s blog post, 2.07.2019

Dear friends,

I sincerely thank everyone who supported my participation in the election of the Governor of St. Petersburg.

I have been travelling around 84 of the 111 municipalities for three weeks after my nomination by the Yabloko conference. In each of them, I handed my personal letter to each deputy. I spoke with 24 heads of municipalities, completely traveled around 14 out of total 18 districts of the city. This work was done openly and publicly – every day I posted my trip reports on social networks.

None of the candidates for Governor – including those who submitted the required numbers of voters’ signatures to the electoral commission for registration in the race – have done anything of the kind. They do not conceal that they received signatures from the hands of the authorities, without collecting anything (with rare exceptions). They were given these signatures as they were considered safe rivals who could not prevent Beglov’s election.

I was considered a dangerous rival, and that’s why I wasn’t allowed to take part in the elections.

To pass the “municipal filter” it was necessary to collect 155 signatures of municipal deputies in 75 per cent of the municipalities. This supposedly should have shown that a candidate for Governor had support in the community.

I failed to collect these signatures. But not because I did not have the support of St. Petersburg residents. On the contrary, I have never heard so many words of support as I have heard in recent weeks.

If I had to collect only the signatures of citizens to participate in the elections of the Governor, I would have collected them, and everyone realises this. But I needed the signatures of municipal deputies, the overwhelming majority of whom belong to the [ruling] United Russia party.

Only a few municipal deputies – really independent from the government – decided to sign up for my participation in the elections. I thank them and appreciate their personal courage.

The rest of the deputies either refused to subscribe or did not respond to my appeals.

Many of these deputies are now concealing the appointment of municipal (their “own”, as they think) elections, to prevent at all costs their competitors from running, hiding municipal electoral commissions, hiring bullies for dirty money, without physically letting opposition candidates to submit their documents [to electoral commissions].

These people are cowards and scoundrels. But it is these people who have no relation to the law or conscience, but today they decide whether to allow me to participate in the gubernatorial election or not. Is this not ample evidence of the complete absurdity of the “municipal filter”?

However, friends, the struggle is not over. It goes on.

The 8 September municipal elections are ahead, when it will be a must to come and send the deputies from United Russia to the political dust bin, those who have deprived all of us of a real choice in the gubernatorial elections, have deprived St. Petersburg of a political alternative to brazen authorities.

After all, the Governor “elected” in this way and the officials appointed by him will “provide” the federal elections result as the Kremlin requires. This is how the system of irremovable power is formed or, in fact, the usurpation of power. This is a grave crime against the foundations of the constitutional system of Russia.

I continue our work, dear citizens of St. Petersburg, and remain your deputy of the Legislative Assembly, I will continue to protect you and help you.

Together we will continue to build a democratic St.Petersburg.

With confidence in victory,

Yours,

Boris Vishnevsky