Press Release, 28.11.2022

Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

On 26 November Yabloko launched the Public Reception “Our Moscow” project. Yabloko party deputies of different convocations of the Moscow City Duma and municipal councils of Moscow districts, as well as candidates for deputies from Yabloko and civil activists.

According to the results of the September municipal elections in Moscow, the Yabloko party received an average of 16% of the vote in Moscow, but only four candidates from the party managed to get elected in the conditions of electronic voting – Vasily Dikarev, Anatoly Zakharov, Olga Lapshina and Vladimir Shomin.

“We decided to open Public Reception Offices in order not to leave Muscovites without representation, face to face with the system, and invite activists from different districts of Moscow to cooperate. To-date, we already have 36 representatives in 24 districts of the city,” Andrei Morev, one of the initiators of the project and Deputy Chairman of the Moscow branch of Yabloko, said. Morev headed the Yakimanka district of Moscow for the past five years.

There are people of different professions – economists, lawyers, engineers, teachers, management specialists, and political scientists – among the project participants, some of them are independent deputies of the past convocations with extensive experience of work with Muscovites.

Here is what the participants of the project say about it:

Andrei Morev, Deputy Chairman of the Moscow Yabloko: “Two months ago, after the results of the elections were drawn, we decided to continue our interaction with voters. It all started with nine districts first, now we are working in 24 districts already. I am certain that our public reception will grow both through the involvement of citizens and through representation in most districts of the city. Moscow should be a comfortable city for its residents and develop in accordance with the requests coming from us, city residents.”

Sergei Mitrokhin, Moscow City Duma deputy: “The new composition of municipal councils in Moscow districts is such that no real help can be expected from them. We cannot put up with this. To provide assistance for Moscow residents, we have created such a public reception today and we will strive so that it would be efficient.”

Olga Lapshina, deputy of the Preobrazhenskoye Municipal Council in Moscow: “For me, the idea of ​​creating the “Our Moscow” Public Reception seemed very important, and especially at the present time. When the screws were tightened almost to the end, only a few independent deputies got through the elections, when thousands and thousands of our fellow citizens lost their representatives, and the number of problems and “hot spots” in the city has been growing every day. Thanks to the Public Reception, people can be sure that they will not be left alone with their problems.”

Anatoly Zakharov, deputy of the Bogorodskoye Municipal Council of Moscow, noted that the project will be able to implement the following important tasks:

– Organisation of assistance to residents of Moscow on all issues related to topical urban problems.

– Organisation of a platform for the exchange of experience between deputies, activists and residents of Moscow districts on the effective dealing with bureaucratic procedures, the correct process of protecting their interests and preparing documents.

– Organisation of informing active citizens about the conditions and methods of effective protection of their interests, environment and cultural heritage of Moscow.

Anna Shatunovskaya-Byurno, one of the initiators of the project, believes that the “Our Moscow” Public Reception will not only be able to join together deputies and district activists who share the values ​​of the Yabloko party in different parts of Moscow, but will also become a new centre of attraction for Muscovites who are aware of the need democratisation of the city management system, and will demonstrate that there is an alternative to the insensate bureaucratic power.