Press Release, 03.10.2017

Grigory Yavlinsky, Yabloko’s presidential candidate, initiated the collection of signatures for the return of direct elections of mayors, governors and members of the Federation Council – without any restrictions or filters. He launched this initiative on the change.org website. Direct elections are one of the key points of Yavlinsky’s presidential electoral programme.

“Mayors of 1,555 out of 2,044 Russian cities are appointed and dismissed without taking into account the opinion of the residents of these cities,” the petition runs. “Strong and respected candidates with popular support are cut off from the gubernatorial elections in virtually all the regions by means of an artificial instrument – a municipal filter [collection of signatures of municipal deputies in favour of their nomination]. The upper house of the Russian parliament – the Federation Council, which should represent the position of the regions on the federal level – almost entirely consists of people completely unknown in the regions of the country that they allegedly represent,” Grigory Yavlinsky states.

According to Yavlinsky, the government’s appointees do not understand and do not feel the problems and the opportunities of the region or the city, therefore, they can not use the potential of these regions or cities, they do not defend the interests of the residents before the president and the government, but only execute instructions from the centre.

“The only source of power under the Constitution is the multinational people of Russia,” Grigory Yavlinsky stresses. “I and my friends and colleagues from the Yabloko party and our allies, independent politicians from different regions of the country, are acting together with you to make these words come true. We demand the return of the right to elect governors, mayors and members of the Federation Council, to elect them directly, without far-fetched filters and approvals, with the right to control their work and demand from them responsibility before the people.

We want different candidates to freely present their development programmes, and we want to choose one of them who will be better able to protect our interests. Mayors and governors should know that their political future depends on our choice, that they work for us, rather than draw the indicators that would be desirable for the president and the government. Elections are the sacred right of a sovereign and free people,” Yavlinsky emphasizes.

Yabloko intends to collect at least 100,000 signatures within the framework of this initiative.

The petition is here