Press Release, 20.12.2015

Emilia Slabunova, MP of the Legislative Assembly, the Republic of Karelia, was elected new YABLOKO Chairperson. She won in the second round over Lev Shlosberg, leader of the Pskov branch of YABLOKO: 91 delegate out of 154 voted for Slabunova and 56 for Shlosberg. Seven ballots were recognized void.

“This is an advance for me. Now [we all have] to work a lot as a team. We can do all this and we will succeed,” Emilia Slabunova said after the announcement of election results.

Photo: leader of St.Petersburg YABLOKO Mikhail Amosov and Emilia Slabunova

Four candidates took part in the election of party chairperson: Alexander Gnezdilov, Bureau member (Moscow), Nikolai Rybakov (St. Petersburg), Lev Shlosberg (Pskov region) and a member of YABLOKO’s Political Committee of the Emilia Slabunova (Karelia).

Slabunova lacked only three votes for victory in the first round (she got 74 votes out of 152). Lev Shlosberg received 38 votes, Nikolai Rybakov 19 votes and Alexander Gnezdilov 12 votes. Before the second round Alexander Gnezdilov and Nikolai Rybakov supported the candidacy of Emilia Slabunova and called the congress vote for her.

Lev Shlosberg, leader of the Pskov YABLOKO

The candidacy of Slabunova was nominated by acting YABLOKO Chair Sergei Mitrokhin. “Slabunova proves that she is an independent person, not giving in to pressure – neither administrative nor political, nor the threats of criminal prosecution. This allows me to say that Slabunova is a worthy candidate, in particular, in the electoral sense,” Sergei Mitrokhin noted.

Nikolai Rybakov

YABLOKO founder Grigory Yavlinsky also supported Emilia Slabunova. According to Yavlinsky, she has “a deep understanding of the political situation in the country.” “She is a person far from intrigues, she is a high professional with 20 years of experience in managing the largest educational institution of the Republic of Karelia,” Grigory Yavlinsky said.

YABLOKO founder also read out excerpts from a letter in support of Slabunova from Galina Shirshina, Mayor of Petrozavodsk, the capital of Karelia. “Slabunova and Shirshina are the people who are conducting a real, acute political struggle in the remote region. They are fighting against tyranny and arbitrary rule,” Yavlinsky noted.

Alexander Gnezdilov and Grigory Yavlinsky

“In times of political flights, and in Karelia they unfortunately happen often, everyone knows what a dangerous and serious opponent Slabunova can be. She is well-known to all our opponents. In Karelia, a huge number of people know and love Emilia Slabunova. But enemies fear and even hate her. At the same time she is respected – as a person,” Galina Shirshina wrote.

Also Shirshina recalled in her letter that in 2013 it was Slabunova who was the key candidate for Mayor of Petrozavodsk from the YABLOKO party, but two weeks before the voting day the court removed her from elections under a false pretext. “I and [deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Karelia from YABLOKO] Anastasia Kravchuk were heads of the electoral head-quarters and can say that Emilia Slabunova was an obvious favorite of the race, and would have won by a wide margin.”

Galina Shirshina believes that “Emilia Slabunova could have been a very good mayor” and “will be a very good choice for the party.”

Emilia Edgardovna Slabunova, 57, is a member of YABLOKO’s Political Committee and MP of the Legislative Assembly of Karelia, PhD. From 1999 to 2013 she was director of Lyceum School No 1 – the largest educational institution of Petrozavodsk and Karelia, which is one of the 500 best schools in Russia. In 2001-2003 she was member of the Petrozavodsk City Council. In May 2001, she was nominated for the post of the speaker (received 27 votes, her opponent – 26; at 31 votes required so that to be elected). In 2011 elected MP of the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia. YABLOKO member since 2003. Married. Has a daughter and a son.