Press release, 08.08.2016

YABLOKO Chair Emilia Slabunova has told the journalists about YABLOKO’s participation in federal, regional and municipal elections in 2016 at the press conference in Interfax today.

According to the party leader, 481 people were registered to run in the elections to the State Duma as YABLOKO’s candidates, 305 of them entered the lists of candidates (in 64 regional groups), 176 people are running in single-mandate constituencies.

Emilia Slabunova stressed that YABLOKO’s course for a broad democratic coalition had been reflected in the team list. This way, nearly 50 per cent of nominees in single-mandate constituencies are nonpartisan. Nearly 30 per cent of candidates on the party lists of candidates are non-party men and women.

“The top ten list of candidates not only reflects the coalition policy of the party but responds to the requests of the society for fresh faces in politics. Moreover, the ten top candidates represent different regions of Russia: St.Petersburg, Pskov, Petrozavodsk. There are incumbent deputies on the list,” Slabunova noted.

“Our nominees are the people who with their own example show that one can live and work according to the law, one can do it honestly, for the sake of people”. She also added that YABLOKO had denied some of the potential candidates since their dissertations had not undergone a check for plagiarism carried out by Dissernet [the online group dedicated to exposing intellectual fraud, whose co-founder Andrei Zayagin is running in the parliamentary elections as YABLOKO’s candidate].

The party is participating in gubernatorial elections in the Ulyanovsk Region.

The party nominated 1501 candidates in the elections to the regional parliaments in 31 regions (out of 39 regions where elections are taking place) of Russia. Only 51 per cent of candidates are members of YABLOKO. The rest are members of Alexei Navalny’s Progress Party, PARNAS, Democratic Choice and Civil Platform.

108 candidates are incumbent deputies of representative governmental bodies of different. 33 per cent of candidates are women. 27 per cent of candidates are under 35, 13 per cent of candidates are over 60.

20 per cent of all the candidates are entrepreneurs. 14 per cent are doctors, teachers, scientists and doctors, lawyers, creative professionals; 5 per cent of candidates are municipal and state workers. Despite the fact that these people feel the pressure of the administrative resource they are ready to defend our principles and stances, Slabunova stressed. 5 per cent of candidates are representatives of nonprofit organisations.

YABLOKO will also participate in the elections to the representative bodies of capitals of the regions of Russia. Such elections will take place in 11 regions of the country. YABLOKO nominated its candidates in six cities: Petrozavodsk (the Republic of Karelia), Perm (the Perm Territory), Kaliningrad (the Kaliningrad Region), Kemerovo (the Kemerovo Region), Saratov (the Saratov Region), Khanty-Mansiisk (Khanty-Mansiisk autonomous district – Yugra).

There are 154 candidates on the list and 57 nominees in single-mandate constituencies. Over 30 per cent of candidates are under 35 years of age. As for their occupation, 22 per cent of candidates are entrepreneurs, 36 per cent are teachers, representatives of higher education institutions, scientists and scholars.

All of them are heroes, who are running in the election despite the pressure [of the administrative resource] in order to make it fair, Emilia Slabunova characterized the candidates.

5 per cent of candidates are representatives of nonprofit organisations. Social activist realize that one must defend the interests of the groups, which they represent, by political means.

On the whole, YABLOKO nominated 2178 candidates without regard to the candidates who are running in municipal elections.

“It is the whole army of people who understand life very well, keep their finger on the pulse and are ready to defend the interests of people actively. Such an army of candidates based on a coalition movement has all the chances and opportunities, it is sure to be supported by the voters. “We invite everyone to join us throughout the country to change the political paradigm,” the party leader noted.