Press release, 29.03.2017

Boris Vishnevsky, head of Yabloko’s faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, said that his faction would insist on the city parliament’s approval of a referendum on the future of St. Isaac’s Cathedral museum.

The aim of the referendum is to ask the residents of St.Petersburg whether they approve  the fact that St. Isaac’s Cathedral, Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, and the Church of the Spilled Blood remain state-run provided there is a possibility to hold religious rites and ceremonies there.

“We think that such issues should be decided by a referendum, and they fully conform to the legislation. The residents have a perfect right to decide whether to transfer St. Isaac’s Cathedral as well as Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral and the Church of the Spilled Blood to [to the gratis use of the Russian Orthodox Church] or not,” Vishnevsky noted.

The lawmaker emphasized that the deputies of the Legislative Assembly have to make a decision on holding a referendum only in accordance with the law not their political preferences.

“In case the Legislative Assembly does not approve the referendum, we will appeal against the decision in court,” Boris Vishnevsky added.

On 28 March, St.Petersburg Electoral Commission approved the petition to hold the referendum on the future of St. Isaac’s Cathedral. Now the petition for holding a referendum will be forwarded to the Legislative Assembly of the city. Yabloko’s deputies Boris Vishnevsky and Mikhail Amosov are members of the initiative group on holding the referendum.