Statement by the Moscow branch of YABLOKO, 22.04.2014

The Moscow authorities conduct absurd “elections before the elections” by means of the so called “coalition of well-known Muscovites” holding “primaries” between the candidates who will be later announced “public” candidates.

The Moscow authorities still doubt that the party of power and United Russia’s candidates will manage to win despite the change of the election procedure, transfer to the single-member constituencies, imposition of a filter for the parties which can’t be overcome without the administrative resource – collection of three percent voters’ signatures for independent candidates and finally the refusal of professional activities principle for all the Moscow City Duma deputies.

Therefore the political technologists from the Mayor’s Office invented the unprecedented “elections before the elections” (primaries are held within political parties not between them). Its aim is to deceive Muscovites, cut the election turnout and push the party of power candidates into the Duma using obvious campaigning and pro-government mass media.

It’s revealing that the “candidates for candidates” themselves, United Russia ruling party members, participate in the organizing committee of the organisers of the “training elections” and there are no representatives of other political parties.

The candidates are proposed to be nominated, though the electoral districts borders aren’t yet announced. They are removed from forming the commissions which will count the votes. There are serious concerns about the financial transparency of the organisation as the whole city is covered with campaign materials and nobody knows who paid for it. All this can be considered political cheating.

The Moscow branch of YABLOKO claims they aren’t going to participate in profanation and cheating of voters. The information on the participation of YABLOKO’s members in this fraud is not true.

The Moscow branch of YABLOKO calls all the independent candidates and parties to refuse participation in “training elections” which discredit the main democratic procedure. We call the activists and journalists to unmask another cheating of the authorities.