Press Release, 29.12.2020

Photo: Lev Shlosberg, MP of the Pskov Regional Assembly from Yabloko

Pskov parliamentarians adopted amendments to the Electoral Code of the Pskov Region. All parties, except for the ruling United Russia party, opposed multi-day voting in the elections, as well as voting in the yards and other similar changes, as they make elections non-transparent and expand the scope for mass-scale fraud.

One of the issues on the agenda of the December session of the Pskov Regional Assembly was the draft law “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Pskov Region on the Issues of Ensuring the Electoral Rights of Citizens”, initiated by the regional Electoral Commission and the Governor. The law introduced large-scale amendments to the Electoral Code of the region, including multi-day voting, voting “in the territories adjacent to houses, public areas and other places”.

Before voting on the bill, Lev Shlosberg, MP of the Pskov Regional Assembly from Yabloko, expressed a sharply negative personal opinion and the faction’s opinion on the proposed changes: “We know that this bill is actually a copy of the changes to the federal electoral legislation. Fundamentally, it is impossible to agree with these changes, because all the changes that were made in the electoral system of the Russian Federation in 2020 are aimed at creating countless opportunities for violating the electoral rights of citizens, including the right to fair elections.

All this voting in the “territories adjacent to houses”, on any adapted arrangments [like cars trunks], with the help of in security bags, which cannot be recounted separately, although it is one of the types of early voting and should be recorded separately.

We get an electoral system that looks like a black cat in a dark room. The electoral system in this condition can carry out any politically motivated tasks at any level.

We see no reason to support these changes. The faction’s consolidated decision is to vote against this bill. From the point of view of fair and honest elections, it is categorically unacceptable,” Lev Shlosberg said.

According to Shlosberg, the proposed amendments allow to do whatever they want with a fair vote. He also noted that there was no discussion with political parties in the Pskov region, no round tables were held and no innovations that were introduced into the Electoral Code of the region were discussed.

Deputies of all factions, except for the pro-government United Russia faction, opposed the amendments to the Electoral Code of the region and declared them inadmissible. “It becomes clear in an instant who needs these amendments,” Lev Shlosberg noted.

It should be noted that along with the amendments to the Electoral Code, region’s Governor Mikhail Vedernikov introduced to the Pskov Regional Assembly an initiative to establish the Day of Electoral Commissions. The bill was adopted by a majority vote of the deputies. The Yabloko faction did not support the bill.

Commenting on the new public holiday, Lev Shlosberg said: “Now there will be a day when we will be able to remind the employees of the electoral commissions that their duty under the law and the Constitution is fair elections”.

The draft law “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Pskov Region on the Issues of Ensuring the Electoral Rights of Citizens” was supported by 31 deputies (all from the pro-government United Russia party), nine voted against (Yabloko, LDPR, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and one deputy from A Just Russia party).