Press release, 25.08. 2016

YABLOKO leaders Grigory Yavlinsky and Emilia Slabunova came to Karelia – a key region for the party, where YABLOKO has been facing unprecedented pressure from the regional authorities. Yavlinsky and Slabunova spoke about the purpose of the visit and the party election programme at the press conference which took place in Petrozavodsk, capital of Karelia, today.

“We are here to warn that every single one of the episodes of the attempts to press on our candidates are sent to the Central Electoral Commission. We simply will not allow such pressure put on them,” party Chair Emilia Slabunova said at the press conference. For example, the Administration, the law-enforcement and security services put pressure on Maxim Ivanov, Anton Polyakov, Sergei Tchernetsoff and Anatoly Kulakovsky, forcing them to withdraw their candidacies from the election.

Slabunova also spoke about “a very difficult situation in the Republic”. According to her, Karelia is a region that has been dropping to the bottom with the fastest rates, and there is a lot of evidence of that. Karelia is among the regions with the highest unemployment in Russia. Emilia Slabunova stressed that her duty would be “to free the Republic of the management team leading Karelia to a collapse”.

Emilia Slabunova tops the list of the party in the elections to the Legislative Assembly of the Republic she is now member of.

Grigory Yavlinsky who tops the federal party list spoke about the federal part of the election campaign.

“The present Russian system has exhausted its possibilities both in politics and the economy and this is the main problem of the federal agenda,” Grigory Yavlinsky said. He noted that even in the most favorable years, when Russia received a windfall gain from the sale of oil and gas, the government did not manage to break the deadlock in terms of qualitative growth.

During this decade, the country received five additional budgets, but still 30 million people in Russia do not have their own homes, 45 million people live without hot water, 30 per cent do not have gas in their homes, one third of the settlements do not have roads and railroad links.

According to Yavlinsky, Karelia represents a glaring example of the deadlock the country has found itself in now. Yavlinsky believes that the reprimand the President of Russia made to Governor of Karelia Alexander Khudilainen on dilapidated housing, was, in fact, made for the use of the law enforcement as a tool to suppress the opposition

“We are ranked 110th in the world as of life expectancy, which means that it is necessary to change the policy and it is necessary to change the power,” YABLOKO leader said.

Grigory Yavlinsky also stressed that many discoveries had been made by scientists from Russia, for example, Pavel Yablochkov invented the first light bulb, Alexander Popov invented radio, Sergei Lebedev made the first computer and the Soviet Union launched the first satellite, while at present the country accounted for only 1 per cent of the global telecommunications market.

“Bulbs are invented here, but they shine to other people. If the situation does not change, in the 21st century, we will fall behind forever, because now the greatest competition in the history of mankind begins,” Yavlinsky noted.

According to him, different socio-economic conditions that lead to respect to an individual are required in the modern world so that people could realise their potential. This means that there should be an independent judiciary, respect for private property and real federalism.

“Russian national idea is described in one word – respect. This is what our people have always lacked. This mean that the state does not use people, does not suppress, force or frighten them, but respect them. And then we respect our country, and know that the state is working in our interests,” YABLOKO leader stressed.

The participants of the press conference, including Galina Shirshina, ex elected mayor of Petrozavodsk and leader of the party list in the elections to the City Council, answered journalists’ questions.

After the press conference, the leaders of YABLOKO plan to meet with residents of Petrozavodsk and Olonets.